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The white minority does have justified anxieties but many are thriving and it is absurd to talk of a ‘genocide’ View the full article

Google Ads launches new AI-powered measurement tools to help marketers of all sizes prove performance, boost ROI, and better use first-party data. The post Google AI Measurement Upgrades Announced At Google Marketing Live appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

Ex-Apple design chief is working on alternatives to smartphoneView the full article

Google launches Smart Bidding Exploration, a new feature to help advertisers unlock untapped conversions by expanding eligible queries without changing audience targeting. The post Google Announces Largest Ads Bidding Update In Over A Decade appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

Workers are stressed over job insecurity with many concerned about the possibility of an impending job loss. And that worry may be taking a toll on employees’ overall mental health—especially for younger workers. According to the American Psychological Association’s 2025 Work in America survey, which recorded online responses from 2,017 employed adults, more than half of American workers are bogged down with worry over their job security. A whopping 54% said concerns about their workplace stability has a “significant impact” on their stress levels. Why workers are concerned The concern appears linked to recent policy changes under the The President administration and economic uncertainty. Sixty-five percent said their company or organization has been impacted by policy changes, and two-thirds said those changes have been drastic. Most cited negative experiences as a result of the changes. Seventy-five percent of workers said they’ve experienced things like “emotional exhaustion, as well as lack of interest, motivation, or energy at work,” due to shifting policies at work. Those who haven’t yet experienced big shifts seem to be mentally preparing for them. More than two in five (42%) of employed adults surveyed said they expect government policies to lead to changes in their own workplace. That view was higher among those who worked in local, state, and federal government, where 53% said they expect to see them. Among the big changes, the possibility for layoffs is top-of-mind for employees. According to the survey, 39% of workers “said they were concerned that changes in government policies may cause them to lose their job in the next 12 months.” For younger workers, the worry hits much harder. Sixty-five percent of workers ages 26 to 43 called job insecurity a “significant stressor,” and 75% of those 18 to 25. Only 46% of those ages 44 to 57 said the same, with the number dipping further for older age groups. A challenging market for job seekers Adding fuel to the fire is concern over how challenging it may be to find a new job. About two-thirds of workers who were concerned about losing their job due to changes in government policies (66%) said it would take them a significant amount of time to find a new job if they were laid off. Forty-four percent said they weren’t confident they could find a new job in their industry and would have to change fields altogether. “When people feel their jobs are at risk, it creates a sense of uncertainty that can affect every aspect of their lives,” said Arthur C. Evans Jr., PhD, APA’s chief executive officer, in a news release. “This cultural moment is threatening workers’ sense of stability, control and ability to meet their basic needs. And feelings of insecurity at work and poor mental health can amplify each other in a vicious cycle.” The strain is impacting workers while they’re on the job. More than half said they feel tense or stressed during the workday. But they’re taking the worry home, too, with 46% saying that their work environment is causing their mental health to decline and 38% saying their personal relationships have been negatively impacted over all the work-related stress. View the full article

AI startups are the belle of the VC funding ball, and it’s coming at the expense of pretty much every other type of company. That’s a main takeaway from a report published by Silicon Valley Bank on Tuesday. That report found that roughly 40% of VC funding in the U.S. last year came from venture funds that “list AI as a focus. Those comprise more than 15% of U.S. VC funds—a number that has doubled over the past five years. “Put all together, this reflects not only the investor enthusiasm around the space, but also the funds required to properly deploy into capital-intensive hypergrowth AI startups,” the report reads. And with AI companies sucking up a good percentage of overall VC funding, it’s left other types of companies battling it out for a smaller piece of the pie—including firms in the infrastructure, applications, and cybersecurity segments of the enterprise software sector. Perhaps relatedly, the creation of “unicorn” companies—startups that reach a valuation of at least $1 billion—has slowed in recent years. During 2021, for example, there were 138 enterprise software unicorns created. Last year, there were only nine. And none so far this year. The report also points out the rise of “zombiecorns,” referring to unicorn companies that have poor revenue growth and little hope of raising more money. In effect, for some of these companies, IPO hopes are low, the climate isn’t ideal for acquisition, and it’s unclear where these companies can turn next for a lifeline. As such, they’re sort of scouring the business landscape, like zombies—not yet dead, but with a fading pulse. It’s unclear if the overarching economic conditions will improve in a way that could provide some hope to the “zombiecorns” out there, and other startups outside of the AI space looking to raise money. While the U.S. hasn’t seen catastrophic economic numbers yet—GDP, unemployment, and other such numbers have in recent months remained relatively rosy—consumer sentiment is down, and uncertainty abounds due to President The President’s tariffs and other policies. That has many investors waiting on the sidelines for an inkling of what’s next. In the meantime, startups may feel the crunch as they hope to go public or raise another round of financing. Investors will likely still invest, the report notes, but they’ll be much more selective given the overall environment. “We may see a ‘flight to quality’ where investors continue to be extremely selective in their capital deployment—potentially making it even harder to raise the next round,” the report reads. “Those left in the dust will need to seek an exit.” View the full article

Remember the letter-writer whose breastfeeding coworker wouldn’t stop talking about her boobs? Here’s the update. It has been about a year since I wrote in. While the talk about breastfeeding specifically decreased about eight months in, my coworker’s seemingly endless need for attention and validation was unceasing. It got to the point where only about three people in the office were engaging with her at all unless they absolutely had to. She then shifted tactics, approaching people with questions that were superficially work related, then immediately re-centering the conversation to either boast about her chosen path to martyrdom, garner excessive praise for her child’s very age-appropriate activities, or lament about her man-child spouse whose homophobia apparently keeps him from changing diapers or allowing his child to play with toys that have rainbow colors. Management never actively addressed the behavior, but did approve her recent request to transfer to an offshoot of our team located in another building 95% of the time (with a whole new and much larger audience to alienate). The good part of that is that our office vibe is noticeably more relaxed. The downside is that now she has an inflated sense of importance being the only one from our team in the other area. She is a walking display of the idea that when someone doesn’t feel wanted, they work desperately to feel needed. The antics and anecdotes in just that past month could fill pages of the recent AAM post asking, “What’s the smallest amount of power you’ve seen someone abuse?” So overall some improvement, by virtue of now limited contact, but the few interactions we do have to endure remain shockingly over the top. The post update: my breastfeeding coworker won’t stop talking about her boobs appeared first on Ask a Manager. View the full article

The federal official told a group of bank supervisors that the move, which Democrats oppose and the industry has mixed views on, will give them more autonomy. View the full article

Elon Musk’s SpaceX employees voted this month to make their small community on the southeastern tip of Texas its own city, with a mayor and city commissioners. But the rest of the tech billionaire’s neighbors near the newly incorporated Starbase in rural Cameron County, where he lives in a home on the outskirts of Brownsville, are not so thrilled with his activities as a businessman and now as head of the The President administration’s Department of Government Efficiency. Residents have long complained about the environmental impact of SpaceX’s rocket launches, which rain debris like sheet metal and pieces of concrete on beaches and have caused wildfires. Now, Musk’s DOGE is having a major impact in the county and the rest of South Texas, an area with higher rates of poverty and less access to resources than much of the rest of the state—the initiative’s budget cutbacks have resulted in reduced funding for area food banks, fewer staffers at VA facilities to provide health care to veterans, and the termination of grants for students seeking internships, among other cuts. “We’ve been forcibly made into Elon Musk’s backyard against our will,” said Bekah Hinojosa, a local environmental activist. “Everyone in this region is constantly in survival mode, no matter who’s in office. Right now I don’t have health care, for example. Most of us are already dealing with problems. And now to have these new problems added to the existing problems.” Rene Medrano, a longtime Brownsville resident who retired as the high school’s longtime football coach with seven trips to the playoffs, said Musk was welcomed when he first arrived in the area due to the influx of jobs and economic activity. But as SpaceX grew and rocket launches started damaging the environment, often cutting off access to local beaches, he grew more critical. “People are up in arms because of the access to the beach,” he said. He hears from neighbors about the local impacts of DOGE. “I know it’s hurting people and I know it’s affecting people,” Medrano said. “And I know it’s going to continue if they keep cutting the way they’re cutting. It’s very obvious. How can it not affect you?” The Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley serves meals to 88,000 people every week in Cameron, Willacy, and Hidalgo counties, with half of its funding coming from federal programs. Recently, 23 truckloads of food on their way to the food bank were cancelled due to DOGE cuts at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. “This cancellation could not have come at a worse time, with the recent flooding event that we experienced and the summer vacation at our doorstep,” food bank official Omar Rodriguez told ValleyCentral.com. “The food bank helps a lot of people in the valley,” said Hinojosa, who said she worked as a volunteer there during the pandemic. “There are always long lines outside, especially now after the flooding. A lot of people are hungry.” A White House official told Capital & Main that the USDA “has not and will not lose focus on its core mission of strengthening food security, supporting agricultural markets, and ensuring access to nutritious foods.” The official noted that in March, the agency “released over half a billion in previously obligated funds for Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA), LFPA for Tribes, and the Local Food for Schools program to fulfill existing commitments and support ongoing local food purchases.” Elsewhere in the region, just a week after 20 students at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley learned they’d be part of a museum internship program that included funds for housing, transportation, and their work, they found out the federally funded grant had been terminated due to DOGE’s cuts to the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), an independent federal agency. “We all felt devastated,” Stephanie Álvarez, a professor of Mexican American Studies at the school, told myRGV.com. “Because students don’t have this opportunity … We were just stunned because we put a lot of effort into it but also because all of these students expecting to go have these internships and that possibly doesn’t exist anymore unless we find at least $60,000.” And changes at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, where DOGE plans to cut about 15% of the workforce, are also having an impact in South Texas—such as at the South Texas Veterans Health Care System in San Antonio, which is considered the fastest-growing VA network in the country. In February, the agency fired workers at hospitals and clinics across the state, including in San Antonio, Austin, and Houston, though it rehired them in the wake of a lawsuit filed by multiple unions representing federal employees. And now it’s slowing down the hiring of new employees even as the number of veterans in the region who need health care keeps growing, say veterans. A spokesperson for the VA said, “We’re going to maintain VA’s mission-essential jobs like doctors, nurses and claims processors, while phasing out non-mission essential roles like DEI officers. The savings we achieve will be redirected to veteran health care and benefits.” In an email to Capital & Main, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly replied: “DOGE’s work to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse is streamlining federal services to the benefit all Americans—especially our Veterans, who have endured decades of VA bureaucracy and bloat that has hindered their ability to receive timely and quality care. President The President is restoring accountability to taxpayers, which ultimately strengthens federal programs for those in need.” “We’re hurting,” said Don Edge, a Navy vet and AFL-CIO official based in San Antonio who represents many workers at the agency. “I’ve got grown men and women coming into my office and they’re in tears, saying that they can’t keep up with the demand.” The cuts of probationary employees and reduced hiring of new employees have resulted in extended waiting times and relocation of veterans to facilities far from their homes, said Edge. “I’m a veteran myself, and to not be able to have services or have services delayed because of these cuts is horrible.” As an example, Edge cited Villa Serena, a treatment center for veterans with mental health or substance use issues. “They cut the number of beds by 35%-40%, and they’re sending the patients hundreds of miles to other VA facilities in Waco and Temple—where they’re on their own, without friends and family nearby, while they struggle with these issues.” A spokesperson for the VA said that the facility decreased beds at Villa Serena from 66 to 45 “to offer more recovery-oriented care for veterans seeking treatment for substance use disorders.” She added: “By reducing the amount of available beds, space has been converted into a small gym, meditation room, and an admission waiting area allowing more privacy during the admission process.” The spokesperson said that “there is no data supporting claims of extended wait times or wait times lasting 3-4 months, and if you report otherwise, you will be spreading disinformation.” Edge insisted that waiting times “have been worse since The President took office.” He added, “If I was to call right now and ask for a dental appointment, I don’t know when I’d have it.” To highlight the urgency of the issue and the need for services, Edge said that a veteran with mental health issues killed himself with a gunshot to the head outside the doors of the Audie Murphy Memorial Veterans Hospital in San Antonio a few weeks ago, which reminded him of a spate of suicides on VA campuses in 2017 and 2018 during earlier rounds of budget cuts. “I’ve been here for 22 years and this is the worst it’s ever been.” This piece was originally published by Capital & Main, which reports from California on economic, political, and social issues. View the full article

The third and final season of dystopian survival series Squid Game—one of Netflix's most-watched shows—is coming in June. The South Korean thriller picks up after last season's cliffhanger, with Gi-hun (Player 456) at the center of the new game. The new season will be available on June 27. Also on June's lineup is the return of FUBAR (June 12), the action series starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Monica Barbaro as a father and daughter who both work for the CIA. Carrie-Anne Moss joins the cast this season as a former East German spy. On the documentary side, Netflix will stream Titan: The OceanGate Disaster (June 11) following its premiere at the Tribeca Festival just a few days earlier. The feature uses first-hand accounts of former OceanGate employees to create a portrait of CEO Stockton Rush and the history leading up to the submersible's failure in 2023. The platform will also drop three new installments of its anthology series Trainwreck, which covers major news events gone wrong. This month's stories cover the deaths at 2021's Astroworld music festival (The Astroworld Tragedy, June 10), the rise and fall of former Toronto mayor Rob Ford (Mayor of Mayhem, June 17), and the ill-fated "poop cruise" (Poop Cruise, June 24). Sports docs this month include Power Moves with Shaquille O'Neal (June 4), a series that follows Shaq in his role as president of Reebok Basketball alongside Allen Iverson, and season two of AMERICA'S SWEETHEARTS: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders (June 18). Netflix comedy specials in June include Justin Willman: Magic Lover (June 17) and Steph Tolev: Filth Queen (June 24). Here's everything coming to Netflix in June, and everything that's leaving. What's coming to Netflix in June 2025Available soonThe Great Indian Kapil Show: Season 3—Netflix Series Rana Naidu: Season 2—Netflix Series Available June 1The American Barbarian Bee Movie The Birds The Blues Brothers The Devil's Own Dune (1984) The Equalizer Family Plot Focus Frenzy The Great Outdoors Hitchcock Hop The Legend of Zorro The Man Who Knew Too Much Neighbors Now You See Me Now You See Me 2 The Nutty Professor Pokémon The Series: XY Pokémon The Series: XY: XY: Kalos Quest Pokémon The Series: XY: XYZ Rear Window The Theory of Everything The Town U-571 Us Vertigo Available June 3Sara - Woman in the Shadows—Netflix Series Available June 4Criminal Code: Season 2—Netflix Series Eva Lasting: Season 3—Netflix Series Power Moves with Shaquille O'Neal—Netflix Series Available June 5Barracuda Queens: Season 2—Netflix Series Ginny & Georgia: Season 3—Netflix Series Tires: Season 2—Netflix Series Available June 6K.O.—Netflix Film Mercy For None—Netflix Series TYLER PERRY'S STRAW—Netflix Film The Survivors—Netflix Series Available June 7Boys on the Side Piece by Piece Available June 9The Creature Cases: Chapter 5—Netflix Family Available June 10Families Like Ours—Netflix Series Trainwreck: The Astroworld Tragedy—Netflix Documentary Available June 11Aniela—Netflix Series Cheers to Life—Netflix Film Cocaine Air: Smugglers at 30,000 Ft.—Netflix Documentary Our Times—Netflix Film Titan: The OceanGate Disaster—Netflix Documentary Available June 12The Fairly OddParents: A New Wish: Season 2 FUBAR: Season 2—Netflix Series Plane Available June 13Kings of Jo'Burg: Season 3—Netflix Series Too Hot to Handle: Spain—Netflix Series Available June 14Grey's Anatomy: Season 21 Available June 16The Last Witch Hunter Available June 17Justin Willman: Magic Lover—Netflix Comedy Special Kaulitz & Kaulitz: Season 2—Netflix Series Scandal: Seasons 1-7 Trainwreck: Mayor of Mayhem—Netflix Documentary Available June 18AMERICA'S SWEETHEARTS: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Season 2—Netflix Series Rosario Tijeras (Mexico): Season 4—Netflix Series Somebody Feed Phil: Season 8—Netflix Series YOLANTHE—Netflix Series Available June 19The Waterfront—Netflix Series Available June 20KPop Demon Hunters—Netflix Family Olympo—Netflix Series Semi-Soeter—Netflix Film Available June 22The Intern Available June 24Steph Tolev: Filth Queen—Netflix Comedy Special Trainwreck: Poop Cruise—Netflix Documentary Available June 25The Ultimatum: Queer Love: Season 2—Netflix Series Available June 27Pokémon Horizons: Season 2—The Search for Laqua Part 3—Netflix Family Squid Game: Season 3—Netflix Series What's leaving Netflix in June 2025Leaving June 1Batman Begins Beginners Burlesque Closer Cult of Chucky Daddy Day Care The Dark Knight The Dark Knight Rises Den of Thieves From Prada to Nada GoodFellas Ma Magic Mike XXL Pride & Prejudice Ted Ted 2 Two Weeks Notice Leaving June 11Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story Trap Leaving June 14Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire Leaving June 16The Equalizer: Seasons 1-3 Won't You Be My Neighbor? Leaving June 17Carol Leaving June 19Migration Leaving June 21American Sniper Leaving June 22Brain on Fire Leaving June 26Ordinary People View the full article

Google Marketing Live 2025 was – no surprise – all about AI. Again. Google Marketing Live 2025 made one thing clear: AI isn’t just an assistant anymore. It’s becoming a co-strategist. This year’s event was packed with updates where AI played a central role, powering everything from bidding and creative to product listings and campaign insights. Google announced the expansion of ad placements, cinematic creative AI tools, real-time campaign copilots, AI agents that do the work for you, and more. This year’s updates are designed to make Google’s tools more autonomous, immersive, and interconnected. Here’s a recap of everything that matters from Google Marketing Live 2025. Google expands ads in AI Overviews and AI Mode to Desktop Google’s now showing Search and Shopping ads right inside AI Overviews on desktop, starting in the U.S.—which means businesses can connect with potential customers much earlier in their search journey. If you’re already running campaigns like Performance Max, Shopping, or broad match Search, you’re automatically eligible for these new placements, no extra work needed. Ads are also popping up in Google’s AI Mode, so your brand can show up right when people are exploring their options. Full story: Google expands ads in AI Overviews, AI Mode to desktop Google upgrades its creative suite with cinematic AI tools You can now turn static product images into dynamic videos using the new Veo model—already available in Merchant Center and coming soon to Google Ads. There’s also AI outpainting, which lets marketers expand video frames to create more immersive, dramatic content. All of this is being brought together in a new Asset Studio, where brands can easily generate and test high-quality visuals that feel polished and on-brand—without needing a full production crew. Full story: New Google AI tools transform Creative Ads, Video Campaigns, Brand Listings Google unveils Smart Bidding Exploration You can now reach more potential customers with Google’s new Smart Bidding Exploration, which uses AI to tap into high-performing search queries that may have been missed before. With flexible ROAS targets, campaigns can go beyond narrow, high-intent terms and start capturing more exploratory searches—like someone researching how to buy a home rather than just searching for “mortgage rates.” It’s all about finding hidden demand and driving more conversions, without needing to change your entire strategy. Full story: Google unveils Smart Bidding Exploration Google levels up marketing insights with new tools for testing, measurement, and data You can now get clearer, more privacy-safe insights into what’s really driving their campaign success with Google’s new tools for testing, measurement, and data management. You can also run easier and more cost-effective incrementality tests to pinpoint which efforts truly add value, while improved cross-channel analytics provide a fuller view of the customer journey and ROI. Plus, with the new Data Manager, marketers can securely gather and activate first-party data from any source, making it simpler to optimize campaigns across platforms. Full story: Google unveils new tools for testing, measurement, data Google supercharges Ads and Analytics with AI-powered “agentic” tools You can now work with AI-powered “agentic” tools in Google Ads and Analytics that do much more than just offer suggestions—they actively create, optimize, and troubleshoot campaigns in real time. These AI agents provide personalized recommendations like keywords and creative ideas, and can even set up entire themed ad groups automatically to improve results. On the Analytics side, a smart “data expert” agent surfaces insights, highlights trends, and helps diagnose issues to support smarter decisions. Full story: Google is putting agentic tools in Ads and Analytics Google unveils ‘Marketing Advisor, an AI sidekick for advertisers in Chrome You can now use Google’s new Marketing Advisor, an AI-powered assistant built right into the Chrome browser, to manage campaigns and uncover growth opportunities more easily. By connecting to your Google account and Ads campaigns, it provides personalized insights and step-by-step help across the tools you use every day—from campaign dashboards to CMS platforms. It can proactively spot issues like missing conversion tags, suggest strategies, and even make changes with your permission, all without leaving your browser. Full story: Google Marketing Advisor, an AI sidekick for advertisers, coming soon to Chrome More Google Marketing Live 2025 news Google’s Product Studio is getting a proactive AI boost. You can now get a creative head start with Product Studio’s new “generated for you” feature, which uses real-time trends to suggest campaign ideas, write optimized titles, and recommend relevant product offers. Instead of starting from scratch, you get AI-powered inspiration tailored to what’s popular across Google. Merchant Center is becoming a brand and content HQ. You can now take control of your brand presence directly in Google Search by claiming and customizing brand profiles with curated images, updated videos, and refreshed product descriptions. Merchant Center is shifting from a simple listing tool to a full content hub. Coming later this year, new video management tools will let brands centralize content from their website, YouTube, and social channels, with AI helping tailor it for promotions and seasonal moments. Google is testing immersive video ad formats that blend storytelling with shopping. You can now test a new kind of immersive video ad that turns storytelling into a direct shopping experience. Currently being piloted in the U.S., these interactive ads let users watch, listen, and shop all within the same video—creating a seamless, TikTok-style discovery experience. View the full article

Search and Shopping ads in AI Overviews are now rolling out to desktop users in the U.S., as announced today at Google Marketing Live 2025. Driving the news. Starting today, desktop users in the U.S. will begin seeing Search and Shopping ads embedded within AI Overviews. Later this year, these ad formats will expand globally to select countries on both mobile and desktop, focusing on English-language queries. Google is also testing ads in AI Mode, the company’s advanced AI search experience, designed for complex, follow-up-heavy queries. How it works. In AI Mode, users can ask open-ended questions and receive in-depth, conversational responses, complete with relevant links and now, contextual ads. Example: A user searching “how to build a website for a small business with limited resources” might get a step-by-step AI guide, plus ads for website builders relevant to their needs. Why we care. These new placements put brands and businesses in front of users earlier in the journey, right when AI is helping shape their decisions. With high visibility in the SERPs and automatic eligibility for existing campaigns, it’s a low-lift way to stay visible as the Google Search experience evolves. The big picture: Ads in AI Overviews and AI Mode shouldn’t show randomly. They’ve been built to appear when relevant to the user’s journey. The approach is designed to feel more assistive than interruptive, supporting users as they move from research to decision-making, according to Google. Between the lines. Advertisers running Performance Max, Shopping, and Search campaigns using broad match (including AI Max for Search) are automatically eligible for these placements. Google is pushing advertisers to explore its AI Essentials toolkit to fine-tune campaigns for this new AI-driven landscape. What to watch. As AI search grows in influence, so too does the pressure on advertisers to adapt. The challenge: balancing visibility with relevance in a space where user expectations and formats are evolving fast. Dig deeper. More Google Marketing Live 2025 news from today: New Google AI tools transform Creative Ads, Video Campaigns, Brand Listings Google unveils Smart Bidding Exploration Google unveils new tools for testing, measurement, data Google is putting agentic tools in Ads and Analytics Google Marketing Advisor, an AI sidekick for advertisers, coming soon to Chrome View the full article

Four new AI-powered updates aimed at supercharging how brands create content, capture attention, and convert clicks to customers, all through smarter automation and immersive visuals, were unveiled at Google Marketing Live 2025. 1. Next-gen creatives: Lights, camera, Veo Google is upgrading its creative suite with cinematic AI tools: Image-to-video transformation, now powered by the company’s Veo model (recently demoed at I/O), lets advertisers convert still product shots into motion-driven visuals. It’s live in Merchant Center and coming soon to Google Ads. AI outpainting, the same tech used to expand “The Wizard of Oz” visuals at Las Vegas’ Sphere, now allows marketers to extend the frame of existing videos, making them feel larger-than-life. This is available in App campaigns and rolling out more broadly by year-end. Bottom line. All creative tools are being centralized into a new Asset Studio, a Google Ads workspace where marketers can access image and video generation features, test formats, and generate on-brand visuals, including lifelike scenes of products in use. 2. Smarter listings, smarter campaigns Google’s Product Studio is getting a proactive AI boost. A new feature called “generated for you” analyzes real-time trends to suggest campaign ideas, optimized titles, and relevant product offers. This is meant to give merchants a creative jump-start. It builds on Product Studio’s existing tools for background removal, upscaling, lifestyle scene generation, and video creation. Bottom line. Merchants get help with visuals and ideas that align with what’s trending across Google. 3. Reimagining the brand hub Merchant Center is evolving into more than just a listing tool. It’s becoming a brand and content HQ: Retailers can now claim and customize brand profiles on Search, complete with curated images, updated videos, and refreshed product descriptions. Later this year, new video management tools will help brands centralize video content from across their site, YouTube, and social media, while AI suggests ways to tailor that content for promotions and seasonal moments. Bottom line. Google says this will enable seamless content syncing between platforms, tightening the feedback loop between storytelling and sales. 4. Shoppable video ads at scale Google is testing immersive video ad formats that blend storytelling with shopping. Currently piloting in the U.S., these interactive video ads allow users to watch, listen, and shop directly from the content. Think product discovery that feels more like TikTok than traditional search. Bottom line. Google is stepping up its game to become a true TikTok alternative. Why we care. With billions of products competing for attention online, Google’s latest tools are designed to help marketers tell richer stories, shape brand identity, and reach shoppers with next-level creative — all with a heavy dose of generative AI. What to watch: As Google weaves AI deeper into every layer of the shopping journey, expect more tools that blur the line between content creation and commerce. Dig deeper. More Google Marketing Live 2025 news from today: Google expands ads in AI Overviews, AI Mode to desktop Google unveils Smart Bidding Exploration Google unveils new tools for testing, measurement, data Google is putting agentic tools in Ads and Analytics Google Marketing Advisor, an AI sidekick for advertisers, coming soon to Chrome View the full article

Google is rolling out Smart Bidding Exploration, as announced today at Google Marketing Live 2025. This major update is designed to give advertisers more flexibility – and more conversions – by tapping into previously overlooked search queries. What’s new: Flexible ROAS targets. Advertisers (e.g., mortgage lenders) can now broaden their reach beyond narrow, high-intent searches (e.g., “mortgage rates”) to more exploratory ones (e.g., “how to buy a home”). Smarter AI. Built on existing AI-powered tools like AI Max, Smart Bidding Exploration helps campaigns capture high-performing searches from new, unique categories. Why we care. Digital marketers have long relied on ROAS (return on ad spend) targets to guide automated bidding. But rigid targets sometimes miss high-potential but less obvious searches. Google’s new tool aims to fix that. About Smart Bidding Exploration. The goal is to give you access to high-potential search queries you may have previously overlooked, like more general or early-stage customer intent. With flexible ROAS targets and expanded AI-driven discovery, campaigns can tap into new demand, driving more conversions without overhauling your strategy, according to Google. By the numbers. Smart Bidding Exploration, according to internal data from Google (March 11 – April 11), resulted in: 18% increase in unique converting search query categories. 19% increase in total conversions. The big picture. This move continues Google’s shift toward AI-driven campaign management, empowering advertisers to go beyond traditional keyword strategies and let machine learning do more of the discovery work. What’s next. As automation becomes central to ad buying, expect platforms to invest further in tools that blend advertiser goals with open-ended, AI-guided exploration. Dig deeper. More Google Marketing Live 2025 news from today: Google expands ads in AI Overviews, AI Mode to desktop New Google AI tools transform Creative Ads, Video Campaigns, Brand Listings Google unveils new tools for testing, measurement, data Google is putting agentic tools in Ads and Analytics Google Marketing Advisor, an AI sidekick for advertisers, coming soon to Chrome View the full article

Google is rolling out a suite of updates aimed at giving marketers sharper insight into what works, and why, across campaigns and platforms, as announced today at Google Marketing Live 2025. What’s new: Easier incrementality testing: You can now test what’s truly driving value across all campaign types, with lower spend thresholds and better testing methods. Smarter cross-channel insights: Google Analytics now offers improved measurement of the full customer journey and ROI, with deeper impression-level data coming soon across Google and beyond. New Data Manager tools: A centralized hub helps marketers gather, store, and activate first-party data from any source using privacy-first tech like confidential computing. Coming soon: AI-powered data strength recommendations and a new Data Manager API to simplify data workflows and boost ROI. Why it matters. As marketing grows more complex and privacy standards tighten, brands need smarter, privacy-safe tools to understand performance and optimize growth. Google’s latest upgrades aim to deliver just that. These updates make it easier and more cost-effective to understand what’s actually driving performance across campaigns. With better incrementality testing, improved cross-channel measurement, and streamlined first-party data activation, marketers can optimize ROI with greater confidence while staying privacy-compliant. Dig deeper. More Google Marketing Live 2025 news from today: Google expands ads in AI Overviews, AI Mode to desktop New Google AI tools transform Creative Ads, Video Campaigns, Brand Listings Google unveils Smart Bidding Exploration Google is putting agentic tools in Ads and Analytics Google Marketing Advisor, an AI sidekick for advertisers, coming soon to Chrome View the full article

AI-powered agentic tools is being rolled across Google Ads and Google Analytics to give marketers hands-on help with campaign creation, optimization, and analysis, as announced today at Google Marketing Live 2025. These tools act more like expert collaborators than passive software. They can suggest, implement, and troubleshoot campaign elements in real time, Google said. Driving the news. Two years after launching its conversational experience in Google Ads, which has been used by more than 500,000 advertisers, Google said it’s ready to go further. New AI agents in Google Ads will provide personalized campaign recommendations, like keyword and creative ideas, and can implement those suggestions automatically. These agents can even generate multiple themed ad groups with matching assets to drive better campaign outcomes. What’s new in Google Analytics. A parallel “data expert” agent will surface insights and trends proactively, using visualizations to simplify complex data. It will also help troubleshoot campaign issues and support smarter decision-making. How it works. The tools tap into a wide range of inputs (e.g., landing pages, assets, real-time performance data, large language models) to continuously learn and optimize recommendations for marketers. Why we care. The updates mark a major evolution in how marketers interact with Google Ads and Analytics, moving from reactive tools to proactive, intelligent systems that can guide – and even execute – key parts of a campaign. This could mean faster setup, smarter targeting, and more efficient performance management with less manual effort. But does faster mean better quality? Time will tell. The big picture. Google wants to make AI not just an assistant, but a decision-making partner that can act on your behalf. Whether that is a level of control advertisers should ever relinquish is very much up for debate. What to watch. As AI takes a more active role in campaign creation and optimization, expect increased scrutiny around transparency, control, and the balance between automation and human oversight. Dig deeper. More Google Marketing Live 2025 news from today: Google expands ads in AI Overviews, AI Mode to desktop New Google AI tools transform Creative Ads, Video Campaigns, Brand Listings Google unveils Smart Bidding Exploration Google unveils new tools for testing, measurement, data Google Marketing Advisor, an AI sidekick for advertisers, coming soon to Chrome View the full article

Google is launching Marketing Advisor, as announced today at Google Marketing Live 2025. Marketing Advisor is a new AI-powered assistant that lives directly in the Chrome browser and is designed to help advertisers manage marketing tasks across Google platforms and beyond. Driving the news. Marketing Advisor is an AI agent that marketers can install as a Chrome side panel. Once connected to a user’s Google account and Ads campaigns, it tailors insights and support based on their goals. It offers step-by-step guidance on the websites and tools marketers use daily, from campaign dashboards to CMS systems. Unlike traditional chat assistants, it can proactively assess performance, recommend strategies, and even apply changes across multiple business units. How it works. The assistant can help identify missing tags, fix issues, and surface seasonal insights within the context of the page you’re working on. For example, if you’re in a CMS, it might flag that a conversion tag is missing and offer to install it, with your permission. Why we care. As marketing grows more fragmented across tools, sites, and systems, advertisers need help keeping everything aligned. Marketing Advisor brings personalized, real-time support into the browser, turning complex tasks into guided, streamlined actions. It can proactively identify issues, recommend strategies, and even perform tasks – saving time and reducing complexity. With deep integration across Google Ads, Analytics, and CMS platforms, it’s like having an expert always on hand to optimize performance and spot growth opportunities. Advertisers should still keep a watchful eye on the suggestions it makes, especially at the early stages of testing. What to watch. Marketing Advisor is expected to roll out later this year. Its tight integration with Google Ads, Analytics, and the broader marketing stack could make it a must-have for busy marketers juggling multiple tools and strategies. Dig deeper. More Google Marketing Live 2025 news from today: Google expands ads in AI Overviews, AI Mode to desktop New Google AI tools transform Creative Ads, Video Campaigns, Brand Listings Google unveils Smart Bidding Exploration Google unveils new tools for testing, measurement, data Google is putting agentic tools in Ads and Analytics View the full article

Mac users are spoiled when it comes to searching their computers. Macs have Spotlight search built-in, which they can use to open apps, search for files, perform calculations, and search the web. Windows has the Search Bar, but when you compare what they can do, it's not exactly the same. Now, though, there's a new tool called Command Palette, and it's a keyboard launcher designed specifically for developers and power users alike. It replaces a similar feature called PowerToys Run, and offers way more features, including the ability to run commands, search the web, search for files, and add custom bookmarks and global keyboard shortcuts. How to install and enable Command PaletteCommand Palette is part of PowerToys, which is a suite of powerful apps and utilities created by Microsoft itself. These are open source and are updated much faster than any built-in Windows feature. You can download and install PowerToys from the GitHub page, the Microsoft Store, or using Windows Package Manager. Once PowerToys is installed (or updated to the version 0.9 or higher), open the app and find the Command Palette option from the sidebar. If you don't see the app window, right-click the PowerToys utility in the Windows taskbar and click Settings. Credit: Khamosh Pathak From the Command Palette screen, make sure the extension is enabled. Here, you'll see the default keyboard shortcut for Command Palette, which is Windows + Alt + Space, but you are free to change it to anything you want. Customizing the Command Palette shortcut and other settingsFirst, open Command Palette using the keyboard shortcut, and then click the Settings button in the bottom-right corner. From here, you can use the Activation key option to remap the keyboard shortcut to something simpler, like Alt + Space. Credit: Khamosh Pathak While you're here, you can also customize the behavior of Command Palette. The features I find most useful is the ability to use Backspace to go back, but your mileage may vary. Now, let's see everything Command Palette can do. System settings and file search Credit: Khamosh Pathak Open the Command Palette and start typing. Everything you'd want from a basic keyboard launcher is here. You can use Command Palette to open apps, and to search for files and folders. You can start searching for apps directly. But when it comes to files and folders, it's better to first choose the File search option. Just type "file", choose the option, and then start searching. Similarly, if you use the "=" key, you'll enter calculator mode. Switch between open windows Credit: Khamosh Pathak Command Palette has a built-in window switcher, and it can show all windows across different desktops and monitors. Open the Command Palette and type the less-than symbol () and you'll see a list of all open windows and apps. You can scroll or search through this, or you can just enter the name of a specific app or window to highlight it, then press Enter to quickly switch to it. Use Bookmarks to open any folder or website Credit: Khamosh Pathak Bookmarks might be the best feature in Command Palette. The file search is definitely useful, but most often, you find yourself opening the same folders and files over and over again throughout the day. For me, it's the Screenshots folder and the Downloads folder. Now, I can use Command Palette to make these easier to open. Namely, I can create a bookmark that opens the Downloads folder with just a couple of letters, or using a global keyboard shortcut. This works for any Folder or File path, and even a website URL. First, navigate to the folder you want to assign a shortcut to, right-click on the folder at the top, and choose Copy Address to copy the file path. In Command Palette, use the Add Bookmark option. Here, paste in the file path and give it a name. Credit: Khamosh Pathak Now, you can give it a unique alias and a global shortcut. Go to Command Palette Settings, and from the sidebar, choose Extensions > Bookmarks. You'll see your newly created bookmark here. Credit: Khamosh Pathak Click on it, and you can now record a unique global hotkey, or give it an alias that makes it faster to find in Command Palette. Search the web Credit: Khamosh Pathak Command Palette has a quick way to search the web that opens directly in your default browser. Enter "??" and then type out your query. Press Enter, and that's it. Run any Terminal command Credit: Khamosh Pathak If you use the greater-than sign (>) before you start typing in Command Palette, you'll enter Terminal mode. From here, you can enter any command, and it will open in the Terminal app, where it will execute the command for you. Install apps using WinGetWe've already talked about WinGet, the hidden package manager inside Windows that lets you install any package or an app using a single command. Well, now you don't even need to open Terminal for this. Once you have WinGet set up, you can simply enter the "winget" command in Command Palette, followed by the package you want to install. Command Palette will search for and start installing the package for you. Use extensions to add even more featuresLastly, you can use third-party extensions to add even more functionality to Command Palette. As the feature is new, the collection is quite limited, but here's hoping that developers add new extensions in the future. To see your extensions, open the Command Palette and search for Extensions. You can find extensions on WinGet, or on the Microsoft Store. View the full article

Google today published new guidance on how to “succeed” in its evolving AI-powered search experiences. What’s new. The only real (sort of) news here is that Google has put into writing what Google’s Elizabeth Reid and others have said in recent months – that AI-driven searches are increasing engagement and creating higher-quality clicks. Also: Google said tools like nosnippet and max-snippet apply to AI content as well. This is more of a reminder that you can limit how your website appears – or doesn’t – in AI Overviews. Google suggested going beyond text and thinking multimodal. In other words, use high-quality images and videos, plus make sure your Merchant Center and Google Business Profile listings are updated. Why we care. Google’s AI Overviews have reduced traffic to websites – and AI Mode (now available in the U.S. as of yesterday) is expected to make things even worse for organic traffic. We’re all being forced to try to adapt to these rapid changes in real time. Rather than delivering clear, new tips or advice about these huge changes, Google is basically telling us to sing the same old song and dance, when clearly the song hasn’t remained the same. The eight things. They are: Focus on unique, valuable content for people Provide a great page experience Ensure we can access your content Manage visibility with preview controls Make sure structured data matches the visible content Go beyond text for multimodal success Understand the full value of your visits Evolve with your users Let’s dig a bit deeper. Higher-quality clicks. In the “Understand the full value of your visits” section of the Google Search Central blog post, John Mueller wrote: “We’ve seen that when people click to a website from search results pages with AI Overviews, these clicks are higher quality, where users are more likely to spend more time on the site. Why is this? Our AI results may give people more context about a topic overall, and display more relevant supporting links, than with classic Search. This may provide a more engaged audience and new opportunities with visitors, but you might not optimize for these if you focus too much on clicks instead of the overall value of your visits from Search. Consider looking at various indicators of conversion on your site, be it sales, signups, a more engaged audience, or information lookups about your business.” Yes, but. Engagement is falling, according to AI Overviews research from Kevin Indig and SimilarWeb. And LLM traffic is not as engaged as classic organic search traffic, according to a study by SALT.agency. Meanwhile, Google dodges any CTR questions. Evolution of Search. In the “evolve with your users” section (even though, really, Google is forcing AI upon us at an alarmingly fast rate and forcing us to evolve with them) Mueller wrote: “The only thing predictable in Search is that it always evolves because people’s needs are always evolving. The classic ‘ten blue links’ format changed to handle the needs of those seeking visual, video, news, and other types of content. Desktop displays evolved to mobile-friendly ones. Search evolved to handle voice queries, or ‘multimodal’ queries, such as taking a picture of a flower and having Search identify it from the photos. Our AI experiences represent yet another evolution with Search, so that we continue to best meet shifting user needs. This evolution also means new opportunities for site owners. With AI Overviews and AI Mode, people are using Search more often, asking new and more complex questions, and are more satisfied with their results. AI Overviews display links in a range of ways, and show a wider range of sources on the results page so it’s easy for people to click out and explore content on the web.” Bottom line. Sure, Google’s AI Overviews show a wide range of sources, but studies show that impressions are up but clicks are down, AI Overviews are hurting CTRs, and CTRs are hitting new lows. So people clearly don’t seem to be clicking out as much as they did a year ago to explore all that great content on the web. Rather, they’ve become increasingly trapped in Google’s ecosystem, which Cloudflare’s CEO said is killing the web’s business model. What isn’t new. Most of Google’s blog post rehashes what we’ve all heard for years. You know, create valuable content and page experiences. The article. Top ways to ensure your content performs well in Google’s AI experiences on Search View the full article

Price rises to $109,481 on hopes US lawmakers will soon agree first digital assets regulationsView the full article

The world’s sources of critical minerals are increasingly concentrated in just a few countries, most notably China, leaving the global economy vulnerable to supply cutoffs that could disrupt industry and hit consumers with higher prices, a report said Wednesday. The Paris-based International Energy Agency’s report looked at the availability of minerals and metals that may be small in quantity — but large in impact when it comes to shifting the economy away from fossil fuels toward electricity and renewable energy. It found that for copper, lithium, cobalt, graphite and rare earth elements, the average market share of the three top producing countries rose to 86% in 2024 from 82% in 2020. China is the leading refiner for 19 out of 20 strategic minerals studied in the report, and has an average share of around 75%. Indonesia showed strong growth in nickel, a key component in making steel and batteries for electric vehicles. The current trend toward export restrictions and trade disputes increases concerns, the IEA said. “Critical mineral supply chains can be highly vulnerable to supply shocks, be they from extreme weather, a technical failure or trade disruptions,” said IEA executive director Fatih Birol. “The impact of a supply shock can be far-reaching, bringing higher prices for consumers and reducing industrial competitiveness.” Birol cited the energy crisis in Europe after Russia cut off natural gas supplies over the invasion of Ukraine. Another cautionary tale is the global shortage of silicon-based computer chips during and after the pandemic, which disrupted auto production. “The golden rule of energy security is diversification,” Birol told The Associated Press in an interview. “And it goes beyond energy security, it is also economic security.” Market forces are important in developing new sources but won’t be enough. “There is a need for well-designed government policies” in the form of financing and other measures, he said. China is a massive global source of critical minerals required for a wide range of goods that includes computer chips, robots, electric autos, batteries, drones, and military equipment. It also dominates the refining and processing of many of these critical minerals, including lithium, cobalt, graphite and more. China has placed export limits of many of these key products and tightened controls on others as President Donald The President’s trade negotiations escalate, stifling U.S. industry and the nation’s ability to find quick alternatives. Without access to China’s significant reserves, U.S. manufacturers have a harder time competing amid mounting global supply tensions. The President has made reducing U.S. dependence on foreign critical minerals a core tenet of his first 100 days back in office as part of a national security and economic resilience agenda. This goes beyond China; the The President administration finalized a rocky deal with Ukraine granting American access to the nation’s vast mineral resources earlier this month. The President is also looking to expedite deep-sea mining in international waters, much to the chagrin of environmental groups. He called for a boost in the domestic copper industry in a February executive order alongside other calls for the federal government to fast-track new mine permits; has reviewed a minerals proposal from Congo, a conflict-riddled nation also rich with mineral reserves; and attempted to strong-arm Greenland into providing more of its minerals to the U.S. The IEA report said that global markets were well supplied at the moment and that prices in general have fallen. It warned however that planned production of copper, which is essential for electric wiring and power grids, would not keep pace with demand and predicted a 30% shortfall by 2030. —David McHugh and Alexa St. John, Associated Press View the full article

Congress may stop California from implementing its first-in-the nation rule banning the sale of new gas powered cars by 2035. A Senate vote expected as soon as this week could end the nation’s most aggressive effort to transition toward electric vehicles as President Donald The President’s administration doubles down on fossil fuels. California makes up roughly 11% of the U.S. car market, giving it significant power to shape purchasing trends. Vehicles are one of the largest sources of planet-warming emissions. The Republican-controlled Congress is targeting three California waivers that set stricter emissions rules than the federal government. The House voted to block them first blocked them several weeks ago, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune said his chamber would take up a similar effort this week, even though the Senate Parliamentarian and the U.S. Government Accountability Office say California’s policies are not subject to the review mechanism used by the House. Thune said California’s “are an improper expansion of a limited Clean Air Act authority and would endanger consumers, our economy, and our nation’s energy supply.” California Gov. Gavin Newsom and state air regulators say what lawmakers are doing is illegal and they will likely sue if the measure advances. Here’s what to know: Why can California set its own standards? The Environmental Protection Agency has let the state adopt stricter emissions for decades, and other states can sign on to those rules. California has some of the nation’s worst air pollution, and the waivers date back to efforts in the 1960s and 1970s to fight smog in Los Angeles. President Donald The President rescinded California’s ability to enforce its standards during his first term, but President Joe Biden’s administration restored it in 2022. What do the standards do? Newsom, a Democrat, announced plans in 2020 to ban the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035. State air regulators formalized the rules in 2022, and the federal government allowed them to move forward last year. The rule requires automakers to sell an increasing number of zero-emission cars, pickup trucks and SUVs over the next decade. Electric vehicles would have to make up 43% of new sales by 2027, 68% by 2030 and 100% by 2035. People would still be able to buy used gas-powered cars, plug-in hybrids or hydrogen-powered vehicles. California passed another rule in 2020 to phase out the sale of medium- and heavy-duty diesel vehicles, including box trucks, semitrailers and large pickups. Depending on class, zero-emission trucks will have to make up 40% to 75% of sales by 2035. The Biden administration approved that policy in 2023. The third regulation targeted by Congress would reduce smog-forming emissions from trucks. The rule revamped a testing program to ensure heavy-duty vehicles comply with emissions standards and set stricter standards to limit pollution from nitrogen oxides and particulate matter, which pose public health risks. New York, Colorado and New Mexico are among the states that announced plans to follow all three of the policies. What do the auto and trucking industries say? Several automakers, including Honda, Ford and Volkswagen, signed deals with California to follow some of the state’s tailpipe emission standards. But the companies have not committed to complying with the 2035 mandate on gas-powered cars and did not respond to requests for comment on the Senate’s upcoming vote. The National Automobile Dealers Association urged the Senate to pass the measure. “Banning gas and hybrid cars is a national issue that should be decided by Congress, not an unelected state agency,” Mike Stanton, the group’s president and CEO, wrote in a letter. The Safe Roads Coalition, which represents towing and truck companies, said the medium- and heavy-duty truck rule is unfeasible and should be blocked. “While transitioning combustion engines to electric is well-intended, unworkable regulations threaten roadside services for millions of American motorists,” said Josh Lovelace, the group’s national director. Can the grid handle more electric vehicless? Thune, the Senate majority leader, said the nation’s grid can’t handle California’s plans. It is a concern shared by other critics, who point to California’s struggle several summers ago to maintain consistent power during a heat wave. “Our already shaky electric grid would quickly face huge new burdens from a surge in electric vehicles,” he said in a statement announcing the vote. Newsom’s administration argues the state is on its way to building out an electric grid and charging infrastructure that can support many more electric vehicles. Broadly, California has a goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across the economy by 2045. But the state remains far short of what is eventually needed. California has about 84,000 public electric vehicle chargers in the state but needs 1.2 million by 2030 to support the EV transition, according to the California Energy Commission. The The President administration directed states earlier this year to stop spending money approved under Biden to help build electric vehicle charges across the U.S. More than a dozen states are suing the federal government over the effort. Newsom has also recently touted the state’s growing battery storage capacity. Neither the commission nor the California Air Resources Board responded to questions about how much the state’s electric grid must grow to support the power demand expected from the state’s transition. But the state has said it needs at least four times more wind and solar power to meet 2045 energy demands and that the grid must grow at an “unprecedented rate.” Timothy Johnson, a professor of energy and the environment at Duke University, said most regions of the U.S. can generate enough power or add enough to meet EV charging demand, but local power lines and transformers could be overloaded. How are other states responding? Eleven other states, plus Washington, D.C., have adopted California’s plan to phase out new gas-powered cars, according to the air board. Several more have adopted the state’s previous zero-emission vehicle standards. But some of those states are already backing away. Republican Vermont Gov. Phil Scott last week paused enforcement of electric vehicle sales targets that follow California’s, saying the pace wasn’t realistic. In Delaware, Democratic Gov. Matt Meyer has said he wants to rescind the state’s EV mandate. Other states still appear to be moving ahead. Associated Press writers Mary Clare Jalonick, Matthew Daly and Alexa St. John in Washington contributed. Austin is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Austin on X: @sophieadanna —Sophie Austin, Associated Press/Report for America View the full article

If you've ever wished the text-to-speech feature on your Mac worked better, Spokenly might be the solution for you. It's a free Mac application that lets you use modern AI transcription right on your Mac for free—just trigger the application with a keyboard shortcut, say what you want to type, and watch as it appears on the screen. Whatever you feel about modern AI, it's hard to deny that it's good at turning the spoken word into text. Whether it's real-time transcription or creating a transcript for a video or audio file, the open source Whisper engine is accurate and fast. Spokenly is a free application that lets you use this technology on your Mac. Install the application, which is currently free on the Mac App Store, and it will start in your menu bar. Transcribing is simple: Just press and hold the right Command button and you'll see the pop-up, as shown above. Say what you want to type and let go when you're done—the text will appear in the currently active text field. You could honestly just install the application, use it this way, and never think about the settings—it mostly just works. If you want to dig into, though, open the settings by clicking the menu bar icon and clicking General Settings. You can decide whether the application will show up in the menu bar, dock, or both. You can decide which microphone you'd like the application to favor, assuming you use more than one. And you can decide whether transcribed text should be copied to your clipboard by default. If you like experimenting with AI, though, you should check out the Voice Models tab. From here, you you can choose which AI model you want to use. By default, the application uses an online version of "Whisper Large v3," which is the only model that supports showing your transcription in the pop-up window as you're talking. There are other models you can use, though, including GTP-4o via Spokenly. Credit: Justin Pot If you'd rather not use an online service, there's support for downloading and running various Whisper models locally. You will have to find a balance between hard drive space, performance, and accuracy—I recommend trying out a few models until one works for you. There's also support for using Deepgram, Fireworks, and OpenAI API keys, assuming you're already paying for one of those services. If you don't know what any of that means, don't worry: The default model works extremely well. And there's more to dig into with this application. The Transcribe File tab of the settings window lets you add any video or audio file and get a transcription, with or without timestamps. There's even support for generating subtitle files for your videos. Credit: Justin Pot And there's a few power-user tools you can set up. The Quick Commands tab lets you choose a few combinations of words that run an action instead of transcribing. Just choose a trigger phrase and what you'd like that phrase to do—open a URL, launch an application, or run one of your Apple Shortcuts. For example, you could set up "Open Lifehacker" as a trigger phrase and our homepage as the URL. Do that and the Lifehacker website will open every time your say the words "Open Lifehacker," improving your life (one assumes). Credit: Justin Pot Another feature, AI Prompts, allows you to set a prompt that will change your text after dictating it. Just choose a separate keyboard shortcut and type your prompt for the text. For example, you could write a prompt that says "translate this text into Spanish"—you can now use a custom keyboard shortcut to transcribe something before using AI to translate it. Any prompt you can think of will work. All of these features reward tinkering, which is exactly the kind of application I like. And the application is completely free as of this writing, while offering features that allow you to use it privately. Try it out if you wish you could get more out of transcription software. View the full article

The president’s fiscal plans deepen concerns over America’s public financesView the full article

Sales at retail giant Target took a dive during the first three months of 2025 and executives have indicated that boycotts over its rollback on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices are at least partially to blame. On Wednesday, the chain cut its full-year sales outlook. Compared to this time last year, Target’s first-quarter sales fell by 2.8%, failing to meet Wall Street’s expectations. According to a consensus estimate cited by CNBC, analysts were expecting adjusted earnings per share of $1.61. Target reported adjusted EPS of $1.30. Months ago, Target stepped away from DEI, bowing to President The President, who has made anti-DEI initiatives a cornerstone of his second-term agenda. Target’s move did not go unnoticed by loyal shoppers. In the wake of the decision, many called for boycotts, and some vowed to shop only at stores that stand for equality. Sales fell, as did Target’s stock, which has tanked at least 40% over the last year, as Fast Company‘s Elizabeth Segran reported recently. ‘We’re not happy with that’ Of its latest dip in revenue, CEO Brian Cornell told reporters, per CNBC, that the company only held market share in 15 of the 35 merchandise categories that it tracks internally, meaning the Target brand is falling behind competitors. “We’re not happy with that,” Cornell said. “We’ve got to be growing [market] share in 60, 70, 80% of those categories.” Cornell also said that in order to address the impact of tariffs, the brand is “constantly adjusting pricing.” He said, “Some are going up, some will be reduced, but that’s an ongoing effort that takes place each and every day.” But the CEO pointed to other issues impacting sales, too, like “declining consumer confidence,” and, perhaps the most impactful, the brand’s move away from DEI. He referred to the major blowback somewhat gently as “the reaction to the updates we shared on belonging in January.” However, the fallout for Target has been anything but gentle. While many companies stepped away from DEI programs after The President came into office this January, boycotts have seemed to hit Target harder. Jamal Bryant, the Atlanta-based pastor who helped kick-start the Target boycott, previously told Fast Company that he believes it’s because the move demonstrated the brand’s previous commitments to Black-owned brands were perhaps merely performative. “We’ve never asked Target for a handout; we were looking for a handshake,” Bryant said. “And for Target to withdraw that hand so suddenly was disappointing.” Target’s numbers certainly seem to underscore that consumer dissatisfaction. Its net sales for the first quarter were $23.8 billion, down from $24.5 billion for the same period last year. Target shares (NYSE: TGT) were down around 6% in early trading Wednesday. The stock has tumbled more than 32% year to date. View the full article