Google’s latest push to transform Search into an AI-powered experience is creating a surprising side effect: more users are turning to DuckDuckGo in search of a simpler, more traditional way to browse the web. Following Google’s announcements at its 2026 I/O developer conference, the privacy-focused search engine reported a major spike in app installs and traffic, fueled largely by users frustrated with the growing presence of AI-generated answers in Google Search. At I/O 202

A major literary controversy has unfolded around the 2026 Commonwealth Short Story Prize after several regional winners faced online accusations of using artificial intelligence in their work. The main focus has been Jamir Nazir’s “The Serpent in the Grove,” which won the Caribbean regional category and was published on Granta’s website on May 12. The story, set in rural Trinidad, follows a struggling farmer, a silenced young wife, and a grove that seems to hold buried memori

The publishing world is facing a growing problem that feels both immediate and unsettling: books suspected of being written with artificial intelligence are already slipping into the market, and many in the industry are not confident they can stop it. That anxiety exploded with the controversy surrounding Shy Girl , a horror novel by Mia Ballard that was first self published in February 2025, later released in the UK in November 2025, and then set for a US publication before

The growing clash between artificial intelligence and the publishing world came sharply into focus at this year’s London Book Fair, where thousands of writers united to protest the use of copyrighted books in AI training without permission or payment. Their protest took the form of an unusual publication titled Don’t Steal This Book , an “empty” book containing only the names of about 10,000 contributing authors. That striking format was meant to send a warning about what cou

Google is continuing to expand the role of artificial intelligence in education with a new Gemini-powered feature in Google Classroom that allows teachers to turn traditional lessons into podcast-style audio episodes. Designed to increase student engagement and comprehension, the tool taps into the growing popularity of podcasts, particularly among younger audiences who increasingly consume information through audio formats. By offering lessons in a conversational, on-deman

Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok is once again under scrutiny after repeatedly spreading misinformation about a mass shooting at Bondi Beach in Australia, raising renewed concerns about the reliability of AI generated information during breaking news events. The incident occurred during a festival marking the start of Hanukkah and has reportedly left at least 16 people dead, according to early reports. As users on X turned to Grok for information, the chatbot delivered a mix of