Illustration: The Verge If you're not familiar with Google Flights, you may not realize that you're not always seeing the cheapest flights in your search results. The default algorithm considers numerous other factors, such as trip length, stops, and travel times. It was, admittedly, easy enough to expand the results and view the full flight list before now, but Google is introducing a change that brings a new Cheapest" tab that will sort all your flight options based purely on price.Google Flights will build itineraries that include long layovers or mixed and matched flights from different travel agencies, airlines, and nearby cities in order to show you the absolute cheapest options. If you like what you see, it'll direct you to the appropriate websites... Continue reading...

Illustration: The Verge Google is planning to ban advertisers from running ads related to the US presidential election after polls close on November 5th. Axios reports that this is the second time Google has decided to ban election ads once polls close, after first implementing the policy during the 2020 election.Google says it's reenacting the policy again this year out of an abundance of caution and to limit the potential for confusion, given the likelihood that votes will continue to be counted after Election Day."During the last presidential election in 2020, it took days for President Biden's win to be confirmed after an influx of postal voting during the pandemic. Google's policy applies to any US election ads or ads that refer to the US elections that... Continue reading...

Illustration: The Verge Google's SynthID text watermarking technology, a tool the company created to make AI-generated text easier to identify, is now available open-source through the Google Responsible Generative AI Toolkit, the company announced on X.Now, other [generative] AI developers will be able to use this technology to help them detect whether text outputs have come from their own [large language models], making it easier for more developers to build AI responsibly," Pushmeet Kohli, the vice president of research at Google DeepMind, told MIT Technology Review.Watermarks have become increasingly important tools as large language models are used to spread political misinformation, generate nonconsensual sexual content, and for other malicious... Continue reading...

Illustration: The Verge Kids will soon be able to download the Google Wallet app on their Android phone, allowing them to buy things in store via Google's tap-to-pay feature, reports 9to5Google. The news comes after Google first added the feature to its kid-focused Fitbit Ace LTE fitness tracker in August.In a statement given to 9to5Google, the company said there will be ways for parents to supervise usage, with control over approving new cards, removing cards, and viewing transaction history. Parents can supervise children's accounts via the Google Family Link app that lets parents set restrictions for content and screen time, and added the ability to see when kids leave school and arrive home in 2022.Kids will be able to make tap-to-pay purchases using... Continue reading...