Google to Unveil AI Upgrades at I/O Conference amid Search Challenges

A Google logo is seen at a company research facility in Mountain View, California, US, May 13, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo
A Google logo is seen at a company research facility in Mountain View, California, US, May 13, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo
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Google to Unveil AI Upgrades at I/O Conference amid Search Challenges

A Google logo is seen at a company research facility in Mountain View, California, US, May 13, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo
A Google logo is seen at a company research facility in Mountain View, California, US, May 13, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo

Alphabet's Google kicks off its annual developer conference on Tuesday with a flurry of announcements showcasing its huge investment in artificial intelligence, while seeking to fend off concerns over the future of its business.

The I/O conference in Mountain View, California has adopted a tone of increased urgency since the rise of generative AI posed a fresh threat to Google's long-time stronghold organizing and retrieving information on the internet.

In recent months, Google has become more aggressive in asserting it has caught up to competitors after appearing flat-footed upon the release of Microsoft-backed OpenAI's ChatGPT.

Top executives including CEO Sundar Pichai have often cited the pole position of its Gemini class of AI models on public leaderboards, ahead of top models from competitors including OpenAI and Meta, Reuters reported.

Now, with consumer usage of AI chatbots maturing, investors will be tracking how aggressive Google is in disrupting its search advertising business line, which accounted for the majority of the company's $350 billion in 2024 revenue.

Earlier this month, Alphabet stock lost $150 billion in market value in one day after an Apple executive testified during one of Google's antitrust cases that AI offerings had caused a decline in searches on Apple's Safari web browser for the first time.

In turn, some analysts reassessed how to measure Google's dominant search market share, which has for years hovered around 90% by traditional metrics.

A Bernstein analyst note this month placed the figure at 65% to 70% when accounting for usage of AI chatbots. Wells Fargo analysts estimated that Google's market share could fall to less than 50% in five years.

The analysts pointed to a behavioral shift drawing consumers towards AI chatbots where they once used traditional search engines.

Google's market position could be further rocked by the outcome of legal challenges, in particular a pair of antitrust cases brought by the Justice Department, which is seeking the forced sale of parts of the tech giant including its Chrome browser.

Investment in AI accounts for most of Alphabet's $75 billion in forecasted capital expenditures this year, a dramatic uptick from the $52.5 billion in 2024 spending that the company reported. In April, CEO Sundar Pichai reiterated those spending plans despite market uncertainty around tariffs.

Google has injected more AI into its core search engine over the past two years, primarily through AI Overviews, generative AI summaries that are increasingly appearing atop the traditional hyperlinks to relevant webpages, and AI Mode, an experimental version that leverages AI more intensively to answer complex queries.

Tuesday's announcements will likely include further updates to search as well as Google's effort to deliver a "universal AI agent."

At last year's conference, the company teased Project Astra, a prototype tool that can talk to users about anything captured on their smartphone camera in real time.

The company began experimenting with inserting ads into AI Overviews last May, though it has avoided any radical changes that would rock the boat.

Meanwhile, Google is growing other revenue streams to monetize AI. Last week, the company told Reuters its Google One consumer subscription service had crossed 150 million subscribers helped by "millions" of customers who signed up for a $19.99 per month plan with access to AI capabilities unavailable for most free users.



New Instagram Location Sharing Feature Sparks Privacy Fears

(FILES) A photograph taken during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on January 19, 2025, shows the logo of Meta, the US company that owns and operates Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and WhatsApp. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)
(FILES) A photograph taken during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on January 19, 2025, shows the logo of Meta, the US company that owns and operates Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and WhatsApp. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)
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New Instagram Location Sharing Feature Sparks Privacy Fears

(FILES) A photograph taken during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on January 19, 2025, shows the logo of Meta, the US company that owns and operates Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and WhatsApp. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)
(FILES) A photograph taken during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on January 19, 2025, shows the logo of Meta, the US company that owns and operates Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and WhatsApp. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)

Instagram users are warning about a new location sharing feature, fearing that the hugely popular app could be putting people in danger by revealing their whereabouts without their knowledge.

The Meta-owned image sharing platform added an option on Wednesday which shares locations using an Instagram map, similar to a feature rival Snapchat has offered since 2017.

Some users have since been shocked to discover that their location was being shared, viral posts have shown, reported AFP.

"Mine was turned on and my home address was showing for all of my followers to see," Instagram user Lindsey Bell wrote in reply to a warning posted by "Bachelor" reality television personality Kelley Flanagan to her 300,000 TikTok followers.

"Turned it off immediately once I knew but had me feeling absolutely sick about it."

In a TikTok video, Flanagan called Instagram's new location sharing feature "dangerous" and gave step-by-step instructions on how to make sure it is turned off.

Instagram chief Adam Mosseri fired off a post on Meta-owned Threads stressing that Instagram location sharing is off by default, meaning users need to opt in for it to be active.

"Quick Friend Map clarification, your location will only be shared if you decide to share it, and if you do, it can only be shared with a limited group of people you choose," Mosseri wrote.

"To start, location sharing is completely off."

The feature was added as a way for friends to better connect with one another, sharing posts from "cool spots," Instagram said in a blog post.

Users can be selective regarding who they share locations with, and can turn it off whenever they wish, according to Instagram.

Wariness regarding whether Instagram is watching out for user privacy comes just a week after a federal jury in San Francisco sided with women who accused Meta of exploiting health data gathered by the Flo app, which tracks menstruation and efforts to get pregnant.

A jury concluded that Meta used women's sensitive health data to better target money-making ads, according to law firm Labaton Keller Sucharow, which represented the plaintiffs.

Evidence at trial showed Meta was aware it was getting confidential health data from the third-party app, and that some employees appeared to mock the nature of the information, the law firm contended.

"This case was about more than just data -- it was about dignity, trust, and accountability," lead attorney Carol Villegas said in a blog post.

Damages in the suit have yet to be determined.