On Monday, Google declared that the Gemini app is now providing its customized image generation feature powered by Nano Banana to a wider user base. Beginning today, all eligible U.S. users can utilize the feature for free, a benefit that was previously limited to Plus, Pro, and Ultra subscribers.

Google initially revealed in April that Gemini’s Personal Intelligence feature would incorporate Nano Banana-powered image generation, enabling users to create images that reflect their distinct interests. This implies that images can be produced based on Gemini’s comprehension of your preferences without the need for you to detail them in your request. Gemini harnesses data from your Google account connections — including Gmail, Google Photos, YouTube, and Search — to accomplish this. 

For instance, instead of stating, “Generate an illustration of me and my favorite items, like coffee and baking,” you can merely ask, “Generate an illustration of me and my favorite items.”

Gemini is also capable of retrieving actual images of you from Google Photos, eliminating the need for manual photo uploads. 

Earlier this year, Google rolled out the Personal Intelligence feature, making it broadly accessible to all U.S. users in March. The company recently broadened this capability to users in India and Japan. 

Personal Intelligence is an opt-in feature, allowing you to determine which applications Gemini can access. Once activated, it serves as the default for every request, but you can turn it off using a new toggle in the Tools menu.

Moreover, last month, Google unveiled several forthcoming updates for the Gemini app, featuring a new “Daily Brief” capability, an updated interface, access to the AI video model Gemini Omni, and a personal AI assistant called Gemini Spark.

Significantly, Google’s AI chatbot Gemini exceeded 750 million monthly active users (MAUs) earlier this year, solidifying its status as a significant player in the AI landscape.

A new contender to the Kindle-Goodreads book-tracking realm has come onto the scene.

On Monday, the reading tracker StoryGraph partnered with Rakuten’s Kobo, the creator of a more flexible e-reader (and alternative to Kindle), enabling avid readers to seamlessly track their reading habits.

The collaboration was initially revealed in May and is now available for all content linked to Kobo accounts.

This positions Kobo as the first e-reader to link with StoryGraph’s literary community platform, providing another means to challenge Amazon’s stronghold in the digital book arena. Historically, Amazon has successfully retained its audience by offering competitive prices on books and e-books while coupling that with a thriving online reading community and social network, Goodreads.

Although numerous competitors to Goodreads have arisen over the years, few have been able to create a lasting presence due to their inability to connect with users’ e-reading devices, unlike Goodreads’s integration with Kindle devices.

The StoryGraph-Kobo integration alters that dynamic, allowing a user’s reading progress to automatically sync with their StoryGraph account. Therefore, when a book is completed on your Kobo eReader, it will be instantly marked as “Read” on StoryGraph, ensuring your reading statistics remain current. The feature is compatible with both e-books and audiobooks, as stated by the companies, and works with any Kobo device as well as Kobo’s apps.

Reading trackers such as StoryGraph are favored for providing a simple method for users to document their reading history and favorite titles, along with opportunities to discover recommendations based on what others are engaging with. As suggested by the name, StoryGraph offers in-depth analytics, presenting readers with comprehensive charts about their reading moods, pace, and more, aimed at enhancing reading habits.

It also provides an online community where individuals can engage in reading challenges and join book clubs, while remaining motivated to read by achieving “streaks.” (Generally, we aren’t fond of addictive gamification in social applications, but for the purpose of fostering reading, we will make an exception.)

Established by Black British engineer Nadia Odunayo and CTO Rob Frelow in 2019, StoryGraph started as a side endeavor and did not seek external funding. It has since grown into a community of more than 5 million readers. With the Kobo integration, the app will now be introduced to the e-reader maker’s 12 million users across 190 countries.

Kobo and StoryGraph are not unique in seizing the cultural resurgence of reading, bolstered by online communities like #booktok and various reading apps. As per Pew Research, approximately three in ten U.S. adults (31%) reported reading an e-book in the previous year, an increase from 17% in 2011.

The startup Everand, which provides a marketplace for e-books and audiobooks, also recently acquired Fable, a digital book community app developer, to offer a comparable integration — but without the hardware. (Could Kobo be contemplating a future acquisition of StoryGraph?)

The new Kobo-StoryGraph integration does not necessitate a subscription, although the StoryGraph app does provide a $5 monthly Plus subscription that includes more detailed statistics, filters, custom charts, and comparison tools.

Waymo robotaxis are no longer accessible via Uber’s ride-hailing app in Phoenix, Arizona, marking the conclusion of a nearly three-year collaboration in the city, confirmed by both companies to TechCrunch on Monday.

Uber announced it is preparing to introduce a different autonomous vehicle collaboration in the city, though the partner was not disclosed. Waymo informed TechCrunch that the vehicles utilized by Uber for this “pilot” initiative have already been assimilated into its own fleet in Phoenix, accessible through its app.

Recent days have seen Waymo users noticing the absence of the company’s vehicles from Uber’s platform. Conversely, Waymo’s vehicles remain accessible on Uber in Austin and Atlanta. Uber stated to TechCrunch that the companies mutually agreed to conclude the deployment in Phoenix as it coincided with the contracted end date.

This discreet termination of the partnership in Phoenix, which Waymo revealed occurred in May, happens as the Alphabet-owned firm begins to deploy its latest robotaxis — the Zeekr-manufactured van referred to as Ojai. Additionally, the Uber-Waymo relationship seems to be fraying in certain areas, with both companies on the verge of competing directly against each other in London as soon as this year.

Nonetheless, both firms commended their collaboration in Phoenix as a fruitful foundational step for their individual robotaxi aspirations, which have become increasingly ambitious since 2023.

“This was a fruitful pilot that laid the groundwork for future expansions and partnerships globally. After conducting hundreds of thousands of trips with Uber, we have re-integrated these vehicles back into our Phoenix fleet, where they will keep serving passengers through Waymo, including our public transit partnership with Via, and delivery via DoorDash,” Waymo conveyed to TechCrunch. “We express our gratitude to all Uber customers who experienced fully autonomous rides with us, and we anticipate continuing to support the Phoenix community.”

“Phoenix served as our initial pilot market with Waymo and featured a deliberately limited deployment, utilizing just over a dozen vehicles assigned to the program. We gleaned significant insights from that collaboration, which enabled us to rapidly expand in Austin and Atlanta, where hundreds of Waymo AVs are exclusively available on Uber and our coverage area is continuously growing,” stated Uber.

The robotaxi landscape has transformed substantially since these companies began their partnership in 2023. At the time of the initial announcement, the concept of an Uber and Waymo alliance appeared implausible due to their tumultuous legal dispute that concluded with a settlement in 2018. The robotaxi technology was in a much more precarious position, as no operator had yet achieved scale. Cruise was still considered a formidable competitor, having not yet experienced its scandal nor been assimilated into General Motors.

In the three years that followed, Waymo expanded its fleet to approximately 4,000 vehicles, while Uber has secured agreements to enhance its network with multiple autonomous vehicle partners.

This partnership in Phoenix remained unique, being the sole city where Waymo operated both directly and through Uber. Waymo is in the process of launching in around 20 new cities this year and is currently active in 11 major U.S. metropolitan areas, offering over 500,000 rides each week.

This story has been revised with details from Uber regarding this being the contracted end date.

Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) and Anthropic have reached an agreement enabling California government entities to utilize Claude at a reduced cost. This arrangement arises amidst challenges faced by businesses in managing the significant expenses associated with enterprise AI subscriptions.

According to the deal, all state departments and local municipalities will gain access to Claude, the AI chatbot created by Anthropic, as well as training and support services. A statement from the Governor’s office indicates that Claude will assist state personnel in drafting documents and evaluating data.

“AI should not substitute the essential work of government; it should assist our employees in working more efficiently, addressing issues more adeptly, and achieving superior outcomes for Californians,” Governor Newsom remarked in a statement.

This agreement follows Newsom’s executive order from March aimed at expediting the implementation of AI “to enhance governmental efficiency” while also upholding stronger safety measures.

“While others in Washington are formulating policies and establishing contracts in the shadows of misuse, we’re committed to pursuing this correctly,” Newsom said during that period.

As Anthropic nurtures a closer partnership with California, the federal government has made Antropic a rival to OpenAI. Earlier this year, a disagreement arose between Anthropic and the U.S. Department of Defense over a contract intended to allow the agency to use Claude for lawful purposes. Anthropic aimed to ensure protections that prohibit the government from utilizing its technology for the surveillance of Americans or deploying autonomous weapons without human intervention. However, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declined, leading the agency to forge an agreement with OpenAI instead. The government has even labeled Anthropic a “supply-chain risk,” hindering the firm from collaborating with other Pentagon contractors.

While the path of the state clearly diverges from the federal government’s actions, California’s CIO and Department of Technology chief Chris Given informed POLITICO that the supply-chain risk issue “simply didn’t arise” during the negotiations for this Anthropic contract.