Browser agents are losing ground to coding tools, and Google is pivoting. According to Wired, Google is restructuring the team behind Project Mariner, its AI agent for the Chrome browser. Some employees have been moved to higher-priority projects. Google confirmed the changes but stressed that the expertise developed will feed into other products, including the Gemini Agent announced last year.
Qualcomm shrinks AI reasoning chains by 2.4x to fit thinking models on smartphones
Qualcomm AI Research has developed a modular system that brings reasoning-capable language models to smartphones by compressing the models’ verbose thought processes by a factor of 2.4.
Google has expanded the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) with shopping cart, catalog, and identity features to make online shopping easier for AI agents. The shopping cart function lets AI agents add multiple items to a store's cart at once. A new catalog feature gives agents access to real-time product data - including prices, variants, and availability - pulled directly from the retailer. An identity link lets logged-in shoppers on UCP platforms keep the same loyalty and membership benefits they'd get shopping directly with the retailer.
Google plans to integrate UCP into AI Mode in Search and the Gemini app, and the Merchant Center will make it easier for smaller merchants to connect in the future. Partners like Commerce Inc, Salesforce, and Stripe are planning to support UCP on their platforms. Google first introduced UCP earlier this year alongside Shopify, Etsy, Wayfair, Target, Walmart, and more than 20 other companies including Visa and Zalando as an open standard for AI-powered shopping.
Elevenlabs now lets you sell AI music you don't own
Elevenlabs has launched a marketplace for AI-generated music that pays creators when their tracks get downloaded or licensed. But who actually owns the music? A look at the terms of use tells the story: no one, really.
Google has launched a new vibe coding feature in Google AI Studio that lets non-programmers and programmers alike turn ideas into working apps using natural language. Users describe what they want, and Gemini 3.1 Pro handles the technical implementation. Apps are built directly in the browser and can handle things like payments, data storage, or messaging. Google says even multiplayer applications like real-time games are possible.
A new "Antigravity Agent" automatically detects when an app needs a database or login system and sets both up through Firebase. Third-party services like payment providers or Google Maps can be connected using API keys. When needed, the agent also installs web tools like Framer Motion or Shadcn on its own. In addition to React and Angular, the platform now supports Next.js as well.
OpenAI has redesigned how model selection works in ChatGPT. Instead of individual model names, users now see up to three tiers at first glance, depending on their subscription: "Instant" for quick, everyday responses, "Thinking" for more complex tasks, and "Pro" for the most powerful models. The new menu lets users pick a specific model version from a dropdown - options include "Latest" (currently 5.4), 5.2, 5.0, or o3.
More granular settings are available under "Configure." That's where users can turn on the old Auto function, which lets ChatGPT switch from Instant to Thinking when it detects a more complex question. OpenAI has also recently simplified the repeat menu under Answers and added the "Nerdy" personality style. On top of that, the company is rolling out GPT-5.4 mini and improving GPT-5.3 Instant, which now uses less sensationalized wording according to the changelog.
The so-called routing system—where ChatGPT decides which model handles a given request—has been a sore spot for OpenAI for a while now. Many users found the system opaque when it first launched, since the router didn't always pick the most capable model. That fueled suspicion that OpenAI was quietly steering expensive requests toward cheaper models to save on compute costs.
Andreessen Horowitz invests $43 million in Deeptune, a startup that trains AI agents in simulated workplaces.
Deeptune builds simulated work environments where AI agents learn to handle multi-step tasks in software like Slack or Salesforce. CEO Tim Lupo compares the approach to flight simulators for pilots: instead of just learning from text, AI models practice in realistic replicas of workplaces, like those of accountants, lawyers, or software engineers. According to Fortune, Deeptune has already built hundreds of these environments for leading AI labs.
Andreessen Horowitz leading a $43 million funding round signals how seriously the industry takes this training method. Andreessen partner Marco Mascorro told Fortune that AI models are increasingly learning through interaction rather than human-curated data. According to ResearchAndMarkets, the global market for this type of AI training is expected to grow from $11.6 billion in 2025 to over $90 billion by 2034.
