This Week in AI: Changes to Google Search, Claude Gets a Voice and Microsoft’s AI Marketplace

This week in artificial intelligence, newsmakers include Google, Claude, Microsoft, Nvidia and Saudi Arabia.

Brands Must Lean Into AI Chatbots as Google Search Changes

AI chatbots are transforming how search works, making traditional SEO tactics less effective.

“It is fundamentally changing the search engine optimization (SEO) universe,” Local Falcon CEO David Hunter told PYMNTS in an interview. “It’s not just a little algorithm update… The concept of being visible in a search engine is changing dramatically.”

In the past, businesses relied on keyword-rich pages and inbound links to rank. Now, Google’s large language models deliver results based on conversational context and user intent.

Local Falcon’s research highlighted a change in how Google decides which businesses appear — and in what order — in search results.

Anthropic’s Claude Gets Conversational Voice

Anthropic’s Claude now lets users converse through voice, not just text, following in the footsteps of ChatGPT and Gemini.

But unlike ChatGPT, Claude’s voice integrates with Google Workspace to access Calendar, Gmail and Docs. This lets Claude audibly tell users about upcoming meetings, emails and relevant news. The Workspace integration is for paid subscribers, with Docs accessibility for Enterprise plan users only.

Gemini’s voice also offers integration with Workspace.

Voice mode is available in English on Claude mobile apps. For free users, Claude has a daily limit of 20 to 30 voice messages. Paid plans have higher limits depending on the type of plan.

Microsoft Offers AI Agent Marketplace for Business

Microsoft launched the Agent Store, a marketplace where users can shop for AI agents tailored to specific tasks.

“The Agent Store is your one-stop shop for the next generation of AI assistants,” wrote Principal Product Manager Siffat Hingorani and Senior Product Manager Olive Hu in a blog post.

Integrated into Microsoft 365 Copilot, the store lets users “browse, install and try agents” from Microsoft, partners and customers.

Unlike OpenAI’s GPT marketplace, Microsoft’s agents are embedded within the user’s work environment, with the user’s data as context.

The store opened with over 70 agents, and developers can build and publish using Copilot Studio and the 365 Agents Toolkit.

Nvidia Takes $4.5 Billion Charge for Chinese Chips

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said during an earnings call with analysts that the company took a $4.5 billion charge in the first quarter due to excess inventory of the H20 chip that was specifically designed for China. However, a new rule required a license before the chip could be sold in the Chinese market.

“We cannot further reduce the chip’s performance to stay within the regulations, so it is inventory we cannot sell or repurpose,” Huang said.

Despite the China setback, Nvidia is pushing ahead with AI infrastructure projects worldwide to meet demand for AI workloads. It also beat Wall Street’s expectations for first-quarter earnings and revenue.

Saudi Arabia Vies to Be Middle East’s AI Center

Saudi Arabia’s new AI company, Humain, plans to launch a $10 billion venture fund targeting startups across the United States, Europe and Asia. It also seeks investments from top U.S. tech companies.

CEO Tareq Amin told the Financial Times: “We are in discussions with all of them,” referring to talks with OpenAI, xAI and Andreessen Horowitz. “Some of them, which you will hear about very soon, are massive names in the data center segment.”

Humain aims to build 1.9 gigawatts of data center capacity by 2030 and expand to 6.6 gigawatts by 2034. Amin said this would require a $77 billion investment.

“The world is hungry for capacity,” Amin said. “There are two paths you could take. You take it slow, and we are definitely not taking it slow, or you go fast. Whoever reaches the end line first, I think, is going to secure a good chunk of the market share.”

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