Google | Pakistan

Alphabet’s Google and venture capital firm Accel will partner to fund at least 10 early-stage Indian AI startups, marking the US technology giant’s first such funding partnership, top executives at the companies said on Thursday. The move comes as several US tech firms like Microsoft, Amazon and OpenAI make a beeline for the world’s most populous nation, seen as a critical growth market where nearly a billion users access the internet. Under the partnership, Google’s AI Futures Fund and Accel will co-invest up to $2 million in each startup, Prayank Swaroop, partner at Accel, told Reuters in an interview, with the investments focused on the wide areas of entertainment, creativity, work and coding. The announcement comes after Google in October said it would invest $15 billion over five years to set up an AI data centre in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, its biggest-ever investment in the country. Its AI Futures Fund, launched six months ago, has funded over 30 companies, including Indian webtoon s...

Tech giants Google and Amazon agreed to use a secret code to evade legal obligations in countries around the world to serve Israeli interests, a report by The Guardian has revealed. The joint investigation, conducted with Israeli-Palestinian publication +972 Magazine and Hebrew-language outlet Local Call, highlights how a $1.2 billion cloud-computing deal in 2021 (known as Project Nimbus) between Israeli government and the tech firms had an “unusual demand”, i.e., agree to use a secret code as part of an arrangement that would become known as the “winking mechanism”. Project Nimbus was a joint contract that aimed to provide cloud computing infrastructure, artificial intelligence (AI) and other technology services to the Israeli government and its military, which has faced condemnation for its war on Gaza, described by United Nations experts and several countries as a genocide. Google employees based in the United States also staged protests last year at the tech giant’s offices in New York City, California an...

Google on Tuesday said it would invest $15 billion in India over the next five years as it announced a giant data centre and artificial intelligence base in the country’s south. “It is the largest AI hub that we are investing in anywhere outside of the US,” said Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud, at a ceremony in New Delhi. He announced “capital investment of $15bn” over the five years and a “gigawatt-scale AI hub in Visakhapatnam”, a city in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. Google has plans for the centre to eventually “scale to multiple gigawatts”, Kurian added. Demand for AI tools and solutions has surged in India — projected to have more than 900 million internet users by year’s end — driven by growing adoption by businesses and individuals. India’s Information Technology Minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw, thanked Google for the investment. “This digital infrastructure will go a long way in meeting the goals of our India AI vision,” he said. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu called it a “very...

Google announced on Thursday that Pakistani students of age 18 and above will be able to gain access to a free one-year subscription to its AI Pro plan. According to a press release by the company, the offer is designed to help students “enhance their learning, research, and creativity through advanced AI tools — at no cost”. The Gemini AI Pro Plan allows these students to access Google’s most capable AI features. These include the Gemini 2.5 Pro model, which gives higher access to its “most capable model” for features like Deep Research to assist with assignments, research, and creative projects. Gemini is also available in Google Apps, “bringing AI assistance directly into Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Meet, helping students summarise emails, create study presentations, and analyse data more efficiently”. Students also gain access to NotebookLM, Google’s personalised, AI-powered research and writing tool, and are given higher limits to tools for creating videos from text or photos, including Veo 3 in Gem...

In a major step toward Pakistan’s digital transformation, Google has officially launched its AI Plus Plan in the country, providing advanced artificial intelligence tools and services to users nationwide.

Google search data from January to September 2025 revealed the slang terms dominating online curiosity, with TikTok, Instagram, gaming, streaming, and Gen Z and Alpha communities driving the trends. According to a statement from Unscramblerer.com, a word-finding website that helps users solve puzzles, crosswords, and explore word meanings, the methodology relied on analysing Google Trends data alongside the search engine optimisation tool Ahrefs, combining 150 search variations to identify the most searched slang terms of 2025. The site noted that slang spreads rapidly through memes and viral challenges, reflecting how technology accelerates language shifts and serves as “a fascinating and fun mirror of our culture.“ Here are the most searched for slang words: 1. 6-7 (141,000 searches) There is no literal meaning to six seven. Its absurdity is the point, making it a prime example of “brainrot” internet humour where the randomness itself becomes funny. It originates from the song “Doot Doot (6 7)” by Skrilla. ...

Google on Wednesday announced the rollout of its ‘Google AI Plus plan’ in 40 more countries, including Pakistan. The plan was first launched in Indonesia earlier this month with “positive” reception. According to Google, the new plan opens up “more access to powerful AI tools to help people level up their productivity and creativity at an accessible price”. “Pakistan’s digital landscape is vibrant and growing, and we’ve been inspired by the creativity Pakistanis have shown in adopting AI tools,” said the Country Director of Google Pakistan, Farhan Qureshi, in a statement. “With the launch of Google AI Plus, we are making these tools even more accessible to more people across the country. This is a core part of our commitment to fuel Pakistan’s digital transformation, ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to enhance their productivity, creativity, and learning with AI,” Qureshi was quoted as saying. The plan includes the following features: Higher limits for image generation and editing (Nano Banana) in t...

The European Union on Friday slapped Google with a massive 2.95 billion euro ($3.47bn) antitrust fine for favouring its own advertising services, despite President Donald Trump’s warnings not to target United States big tech. Google vowed to appeal the decision by the European Commission, which accused the US firm of distorting competition in the 27-nation bloc. “Google abused its dominant position in adtech, harming publishers, advertisers, and consumers. This behaviour is illegal under EU antitrust rules,” EU competition chief Teresa Ribera said. Trump has threatened to go after Europe for its rules on the digital market and on policing content, which affect tech giants based in the US. Earlier this week, it emerged Ribera had hit pause on the fine, seemingly for fear of US retaliation. The EU is still waiting for the US to make good on a promise to lower tariffs on cars under a trade deal agreed in July. Brussels ordered Google to end its “self-preferencing practices” and take steps to cease its inherent c...

The Sindh government on Wednesday signed two Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with Google to expand its Peoples IT Program (PITP) and launch a Digital Journalism Scholarship initiative.

ISLAMABAD: Google has launched its new ‘AI Mode’ in Pakistan, offering users access to its most advanced AI-powered search experience. First introduced in the United States this year, the feature is now expanding globally, with Pakistan among the latest countries to gain access. The tool, powered by a custom version of Gemini 2.5, enables people to ask longer and more complex questions that previously required multiple searches. Available in English, AI Mode can be accessed via the Google app on Android and iOS, as well as on mobile and desktop web. In a statement, Google said that early testers have shown that queries are already two to three times longer than traditional searches, highlighting the tool’s usefulness for exploratory tasks such as comparing products, planning trips, or tackling “how-to” questions. “It dives deep to answer multiple questions at once, with helpful links for further exploration,” the company said. Google explained that Pakistani users can use ‘AI Mode’ for different use cases, in...

Search engine giant Google has unveiled a special doodle to celebrate Pakistan’s 78th Independence Day, continuing its tradition of commemorating the occasion with unique illustrations since 2011.

Google seemed to have joined the discussion around ‘Legend of Zelda’ movie cast, announced by Nintendo earlier this month. Fans of the popular game were in for a surprise on July 15 when the Kyoto-based company announced the lead actors for Sony’s live-action ‘Legend of Zelda’ film. As per a Nintendo official, actor Bo Bragason […]

OpenAI, Alphabet’s Google, Anthropic and Elon Musk’s AI firm xAI have won contracts of up to $200 million each, aimed at scaling up adoption of advanced AI capabilities in the United States Department of Defence (DoD), the government agency said on Monday. The contracts will enable the DoD to develop agentic AI workflows and use them to address critical national security challenges, the department’s Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office said. “The adoption of AI is transforming the [DoD’s] ability to support our warfighters and maintain strategic advantage over our adversaries,” Chief Digital and AI Officer Doug Matty said. US government agencies have been expanding their use of AI, driven by a White House order in April promoting adoption. President Donald Trump has also moved to soften regulations on technology by revoking a 2023 Biden-era executive order, which sought to reduce AI risks through mandatory data disclosures. Separately on Monday, xAI announced a suite of its products called “Grok f...

Google has announced that it will expand its Ads in AI Overviews feature to several Asia-Pacific markets later this year, including Pakistan.

Information Technology Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja stressed the government’s focus on artificial intelligence (AI) training in education and the workforce, Radio Pakistan reported on Saturday. The interest shown by children in AI tools has doubled during the past year, according to a report, with businesses also employing them on a wide scale. However, experts have warned that AI’s development should not be guided by market forces alone and stressed its regulation. Khawaja met with Google’s Regional AI Developer Ecosystem and Communities team on Friday to explore strategic collaboration in advancing Pakistan’s AI landscape. In the policy discussion, the minister emphasised the government’s strategic focus on AI training across three critical domains: mainstream education from kindergarten to university; workforce development, including freelancers; and industrial innovation. According to Radio Pakistan, the minister also stressed the need for inclusive access to tools such as the AI Seekho programme, sandbo...

Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication, Shaza Fatima Khawaja met with Google’s Regional AI Developer Ecosystem & Communities team to explore strategic collaboration in advancing Pakistan’s artificial intelligence landscape.

Germany’s data protection commissioner has asked Apple and Google to remove Chinese AI startup DeepSeek from their app stores in the country due to concerns about data protection. Commissioner Meike Kamp said in a statement on Friday that she made the request because DeepSeek illegally transfers users’ personal data to China. The two US tech giants must now review the request promptly and decide whether to block the app in Germany, she added. DeepSeek did not respond to a request for comment. Apple and Google were not immediately available for comment. According to its own privacy policy, DeepSeek stores numerous personal data, such as requests to its AI programme or uploaded files, on computers in China. “DeepSeek has not been able to provide my agency with convincing evidence that German users’ data is protected in China to a level equivalent to that in the European Union,” Kamp said. “Chinese authorities have far-reaching access rights to personal data within the sphere of influence of Chinese companies,” ...

Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said on Tuesday it was proposing to designate Google with “strategic market status” to give it greater control over how the United States tech giant operates search services, according to a report by Reuters. According to a press release by the CMA, Britain’s competition regulator, Google search accounts for more than 90 per cent of all general search queries in the UK — with millions of people relying on it as a key gateway to the internet and more than 200,000 businesses in the UK relying on Google search advertising to reach their customers. The CMA said that steps it could take include making it easier for users to access different search providers and ensuring fair ranking principles for businesses appearing on Google search. It also proposed more transparency and control for publishers whose content appeared in search results if it goes ahead with the designation in October. Google will be the first company designated since the regulator gained new power...

Judge hears final arguments in Google trial over proposals to curb its online search and ad monopoly