| Here’s a look at today's tech briefing: - Google's AI summaries under fire for misinformation.
- Google to invest $350M in India's Flipkart.
- Dogecoin and meme inspiration Kabosu passes away.
- iFixit ends self-repair partnership with Samsung.
- Consultant behind Biden AI robocall faces $6M FCC fine.
- Nintendo to open second U.S. store in San Francisco.
Beth
p/beth-duckett | |
| 1 | | Users report that Google's new AI Overviews in its search engine sometimes generate inaccurate responses. Google rolled out the AI-generated summaries to all U.S.-based searchers last week. More: - The overviews produce responses like a chatbot, drawing from websites and more to create summary answers to queries.
- The answers appear at the top of search results, with a disclaimer saying that "generative AI is experimental."
- So far, the feature has given incorrect advice on rattlesnake bites, made errors about the number of U.S. presidents, and falsely claimed former President Obama is Muslim.
- In other cited examples, the overviews advised using glue to keep cheese on pizza and recommended users eat at least one rock per day.
- Some answers have been pulled from Reddit posts and the satirical news site The Onion.
Response: - Google said it removed the overviews for some queries that produced incorrect information.
- A spokesperson said the mistakes are "extremely rare queries and aren't representative of most people's experiences."
- Google extensively tested the feature before launch and is "taking swift action" based on feedback.
- The Verge still shared ways to remove the AI-generated answers from search results.
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| 2 | Google is buying a $350M stake in Flipkart as part of a nearly $1B funding round, valuing the Indian e-commerce giant at $37B. The round is led by Walmart, Flipkart's biggest shareholder, and will make Google a minority investor. More: - Flipkart was founded in 2007 by two former Amazon engineers.
- In 2018, Walmart paid $16B to acquire 77% of Flipkart's shares. Five years later, Walmart spent $1.4B to buy out hedge fund Tiger Global's stake.
- In December, a Flipkart spokesperson confirmed Walmart would infuse $600M into the firm as part of a $1B funding round.
- Walmart executives recently said they are exploring the right time for Flipkart's IPO.
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| 3 | | Kabosu, the 18-year-old Shiba Inu who inspired the "Doge" meme and Dogecoin, has died. Her owner Atsuko Sato, who lives in Japan, reported the news in a blog post, writing that Kabosu "quietly passed away as if asleep while I caressed her." More: - Sato, a kindergarten teacher, adopted Kabosu as a rescue dog in 2008.
- Kabosu became an iconic internet figure in the 2010s when a photo of her with a quizzical look became the Doge meme.
- In 2013, her photo inspired Dogecoin, the cryptocurrency that started as a joke but later gained popularity and was promoted by Elon Musk.
- In 2021, an NFT of the Doge meme sold for $4M, making it the most expensive NFT at the time.
- In December, Sato posted that Kabosu had worsening lymphoma leukemia, a poor liver, and jaundice.
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| 4 | | DIY repair company iFixit has ended its partnership with Samsung following failed contract renegotiations. Samsung and iFixit first collaborated in 2022 to offer smartphone owners genuine self-repair parts, tools, and guides. More: - As of June 17, iFixit will no longer be Samsung's third-party parts and tools distributor.
- iFixit will still sell Samsung repair kits and parts independently. The company will no longer collaborate with Samsung on new manuals.
- Samsung said it will continue offering repair parts and tools through Samsungparts.com, powered by Encompass.
Zoom out: - iFixit cited high parts prices and lack of access to parts for newer Samsung devices as key reasons for ending the partnership.
- The company said it "couldn't get parts to local repair shops at prices and quantities that made business sense."
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| 5 | | The FCC proposed a $6M fine on Steven Kramer, a political consultant indicted over AI-generated robocalls of President Joe Biden. Kramer, a Democratic operator, admitted to orchestrating the robocalls, which featured a deefaked recording of Biden's voice. More: - Kramer sent out the January robocall to thousands of Democrats two days before New Hampshire's primary, discouraging them from voting.
- The robocall triggered a lawsuit and law enforcement investigations and led to an FCC ban on AI-voiced robocalls.
- Kramer now faces a $6M from the FCC, which bans using inaccurate caller ID information with the intent to defraud or cause harm.
- In New Hampshire, grand juries in four counties indicted Kramer on 13 felony counts and 13 misdemeanor counts related to voter suppression and impersonating a candidate.
- He faces up to seven years in prison per felony count.
Zoom out: - The FCC has also proposed a $2M fine on Lingo Telecom, which facilitated the robocalls, citing a violation of "know your customer" principles.
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| 6 | | Nintendo is opening its second U.S. store in San Francisco's Union Square in 2025. The company's first U.S. store in NYC opened in 2005. More: - Nintendo San Francisco will allow customers to "experience the world of Nintendo, its products, and characters," the company said.
- In an X post, SF Mayor London Breed called the announcement "great news for Union Square and fans from everywhere."
- The news comes as Union Square, once San Francisco's shopping hub, has faced business closures.
- Nintendo also operates three other stores in Japan, located in Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto.
Zoom out: - Nintendo has expanded beyond video games to theme parks and movies, including last year's The Super Mario Bros. Movie and its sequel set for 2026.
- Nintendo's strategic use of its IP, including the movies and theme parks, resulted in IP- and mobile-related sales tripling last year.
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 | AI and technology writer | | Beth is a contributing editor and writer of Inside's AI and Tech newsletters. She has written for publications including USA Today, the Arizona Business Gazette, and The Arizona Republic, where she received recognition with a Pulitzer Prize nomination and a First Amendment Award for collaborative reporting on state pension cost increases. You can reach her at Beth.Duckett@yahoo.com. | | This newsletter was edited by Beth Duckett | |
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