The Power Players in AI and Tech
Happy Friday, and welcome back!
Welcome back to the latest edition of Quantious’ Tech Roundup, where you gain exclusive insights into the tech news you need to know to stay at the top of your game.
Today, we’re covering how Google’s AI search features are affecting publishers, Apple’s new software design, Meta’s AR and VR, Microsoft Edge’s AI-powered browser history, and Mistral’s vibe coding client.
With our Tech Roundup, you can trust that you’re getting concise updates on just the news that matters most. Let’s dive in!
Are you new to VR?
At Quantious, virtual reality (VR) is a topic we talk about daily. This year, we found that 65% of our team use VR on a weekly basis to connect with friends, get work done, play games, and stay active. Our team is not alone. Over 171 million people worldwide are estimated to be using VR, with 77 million users in the US.
Whether you’re a newcomer exploring VR for the first time or looking for apps to level up your experience, the Quantious team has you covered. Read on for our top picks for must-try apps in VR.
Top Tech Highlights
Google’s AI search features are killing traffic to publishers
AI tools like Google’s AI Overviews and chatbots are significantly reducing referral traffic to news publishers, as users increasingly get answers directly from summaries or conversational AI instead of clicking through to original sources. This shift is harming publishers' ad revenue and sustainability, with The New York Times seeing a notable decline in search-driven traffic over the past three years. In response, outlets like The Times and The Atlantic are striking licensing or revenue-sharing deals with AI companies to adapt to the changing landscape.
Apple introduces a delightful and elegant new software design
Apple introduced a new design system called Liquid Glass, debuting across all major platforms in version 26 of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS. This translucent, adaptive material enhances visual depth and interactivity by reflecting surroundings and adjusting to different modes. It emphasizes real-time rendering and unified UI elements to create a more immersive and aesthetically fluid experience.
2025 will be a ‘pivotal year’ for Meta’s AR and VR
Meta CTO Andrew “Boz” Bosworth believes 2025 could either mark a major breakthrough or a dramatic failure for Reality Labs and the metaverse, with this year being especially pivotal. Meta’s Ray-Ban AI glasses, which have sold over 2 million units, are helping shift public perception and attracting competitive attention from companies like Google and Apple.
Microsoft Edge is getting an AI-powered browser history that works with typos
Microsoft is testing an AI-powered “enhanced search” feature for Edge that allows users to find sites in their browsing history using related phrases, synonyms, or typos. The feature uses an on-device model trained solely on local history data, preserving user privacy by never transmitting data to Microsoft.
Mistral releases a vibe coding client, Mistral Code
French AI startup Mistral has launched Mistral Code, an enterprise-focused coding assistant and IDE client, to rival tools like GitHub Copilot and Cursor. Built on a fork of the open-source Continue project, it combines Mistral’s proprietary models for code completion, search, and agentic tasks, with support for 80+ languages and local or cloud deployment options.
What You Really Need to Know
The power players are those who pair AI savvy with user-first thinking—everyone else is playing catch-up or cutting deals.
All of these stories point to a larger shift: we’re in the thick of an AI-fueled redefinition of how people interact with technology, and the ripple effects are massive. AI has become the default layer through which users access content, navigate the web, and experience devices. In this ecosystem, traditional value chains (like publishers depending on referral traffic) are being squeezed, while companies that own distribution and hardware are racing to lock in their AI edge.
At the same time, these developments showcase how design, interactivity, and user agency are becoming central to the AI era. Apple’s Liquid Glass aesthetic isn’t just pretty—it’s strategic, signaling how form and function in software must evolve with sensory, real-time depth. Mistral’s IDE offering leans into developer autonomy and choice, suggesting AI tools are becoming more modular, self-hostable, and enterprise-optimized.
NY Tech Week is a Wrap!
This year was a flurry of activity, with presentations, meetups, and networking events spanning the boroughs of New York. The common thread? AI. It’s weaving itself into everything: food delivery, video creation, finance, and beyond. It’s a fascinating time to be working in tech, to be sure. We’re shaping the future in real time. Let’s be sure we do it with intention and integrity.
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