📢 Google DeepMind Brings Powerful Image Editing Model to Gemini App
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The artificial intelligence industry witnessed significant developments this week as an unannounced model named "nano-banana" emerged to dominate image editing performance benchmarks while AI search company Perplexity simultaneously launched a $42.5 million revenue-sharing program aimed at addressing publisher concerns over content usage, marking parallel advances in both AI capability breakthroughs and industry efforts to establish sustainable compensation frameworks for content creators.
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In today’s There’s a Glitch :
Google DeepMind Brings Powerful Image Editing Model to Gemini App
Anthropic Pilots Claude for Chrome With Safety Features Against Prompt Injection
OpenAI to Open Sydney Office as ChatGPT Demand Surges in Australia
Leaders to fast-track AI child safety protections as exploitation cases surge
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🔥Google DeepMind Brings Powerful Image Editing Model to Gemini App
The Breakdown: Google just rolled out a major upgrade to image editing in its Gemini app, powered by a new DeepMind model that keeps people, pets and objects looking consistent across edits — opening the door to creative, lifelike transformations with ease.
The Details:
Consistency first: The update focuses on preserving likeness — making sure faces, pets and familiar features stay true across edits.
Seamless edits: Users can change costumes, eras or locations while keeping the person’s look intact.
Photo blending: Multiple images can now be combined into one cohesive scene, such as placing yourself and your dog in a new setting.
Multi-turn editing: You can progressively build a scene — like redesigning a room step by step — with changes stacking naturally.
Creative styles: Apply patterns or textures from one image to another object (e.g., flower petals on rain boots). All outputs carry visible and invisible AI watermarks.
Why It Matters: This release signals Google’s push to make AI-driven creativity both accessible and reliable, directly inside Gemini rather than separate tools. By focusing on realism and consistency, the update could set a new standard for consumer image editing apps — blurring the line between professional-grade tools and everyday use.
🤖 Anthropic Pilots Claude for Chrome With Safety Features Against Prompt Injection
The Breakdown: Anthropic is piloting a Claude extension for Chrome that lets the AI take browser actions like clicking and form-filling, while testing new defenses against prompt injection attacks — a move that could redefine how AI integrates with everyday web use.
The Details:
Pilot launch: 1,000 Claude Max users are invited to test the Chrome extension, with gradual expansion planned.
Core capability: Claude can now act directly in browsers — managing calendars, emails, expense reports, and web testing.
Security risks: Early red-teaming showed a 23.6% attack success rate in prompt injection scenarios without safeguards.
Mitigations added: Site-level permissions, action confirmations, sensitive-site restrictions, improved system prompts, and classifiers for suspicious instructions.
Results so far: New defenses cut attack success to 11.2% overall and from 35.7% to 0% on browser-specific hidden attack tests.
Why It Matters: By addressing the security pitfalls of browser-operating AIs, Anthropic is laying groundwork for trustworthy agents that can safely handle real-world workflows. The pilot could accelerate mainstream adoption of browser-embedded AI — but safety breakthroughs will determine how fast this vision scales.
🚨 ChatGPT Maker Expands to Australia, Citing Rapid Growth in Users and Developers
The Breakdown: OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, will open its first Australian office in Sydney later this year as local demand for AI technology surges — a move that underscores Australia’s rise as a global hub for developers and business adoption.
The Details:
Rapid local growth: Weekly active users of ChatGPT in Australia have jumped 2.5x in the past year, placing the country in OpenAI’s top 10 markets for subscribers and developers.
Global scale: OpenAI now has 700M+ weekly active users, 5M+ paying businesses, and 4M+ developers building on its platform worldwide.
Customer focus: The Sydney office will provide improved local support and help OpenAI engage directly with Australia’s developer, startup, and corporate communities.
Partnerships in play: OpenAI has struck a multi-year AI deal with Commonwealth Bank, while Atlassian and Canva are already building products using its models.
Government backing: NSW Innovation Minister Anoulack Chanthivong hailed the expansion as aligning with the state’s Innovation Blueprint 2035 and national push for AI leadership.
Why It Matters: OpenAI’s expansion signals that Australia is no longer just a consumer market but a strategic node in the global AI ecosystem. The move strengthens local access to cutting-edge AI, builds opportunities for startups, and deepens collaboration between global tech leaders and homegrown giants like Canva and Atlassian. Long-term, the Sydney hub could accelerate AI adoption across sectors — from banking to healthcare — and cement Australia’s role in shaping global AI policy and innovation.
🚀Canberra roundtable targets AI-driven child abuse risks with urgent reforms
The Breakdown: Australian leaders will convene at Parliament House on Sept. 2 for a high-level roundtable on AI-enabled child sexual exploitation, fast-tracking police training, facial recognition reviews, and a national awareness campaign as cases surge globally.
The Details:
Who’s involved: Convened by ICMEC Australia, the event brings together MPs Kate Chaney and Zali Steggall, child safety advocates Grace Tame and Sonya Ryan, law enforcement, criminologists, the eSafety Commissioner, and the National Children’s Commissioner.
Why now: Reports of AI-driven child sexual exploitation jumped 1,325% in the U.S., from 4,700 cases in 2023 to 67,000 in 2024, according to NCMEC.
Key priorities:
Baseline AI training for police to identify and investigate emerging crimes.
A 120-day review into law-enforcement-only facial recognition for victim identification.
A national prevention campaign guiding families and schools on deepfakes, nudify apps, grooming chatbots, and clear reporting steps.
Risks flagged: AI is being used to generate CSAM, create deepfakes, enable automated grooming, and power child-like personas.
Voices: ICMEC CEO Colm Gannon said AI is “both a sword and a shield” in protecting children. National Children’s Commissioner Anne Hollonds called for “coordinated national leadership and accountability” ahead of National Child Protection Week.
Why It Matters: This meeting underscores growing urgency for coordinated national action as AI accelerates both opportunities and harms in child protection. With emerging tools already being misused to exploit children, Australia’s response will set the tone for balancing innovation, safety, and rights in an AI-driven era. The outcomes could influence global frameworks on child safety in technology.
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Lululemon Names Ranju Das First Chief AI and Technology Officer. Lululemon has appointed Ranju Das as its first chief AI and technology officer, effective Sept. 2, tasking the veteran executive with leading the company’s technology strategy and advancing its use of artificial intelligence across the retail value chain.
Akula Tech to Launch Australia’s First AI-Powered Smart Satellite on SpaceX Rocket. Melbourne start-up Akula Tech will launch Nexus-01, Australia’s first AI-powered smart satellite, aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 later this year, marking a breakthrough in real-time on-orbit data analysis for applications spanning defence, disaster response, climate monitoring and more.
Australia’s AI Trust Gap Threatens Productivity Gains, Experts Warn. Australia risks missing out on AI’s $116 billion productivity potential unless it closes a growing trust gap, with experts warning that weak governance, poor data infrastructure, and low digital literacy are fueling project failures and public skepticism.
Salesforce Expands in Canberra, Launches AI Agent Tools for Public Sector. Salesforce launched its AI-powered Agentforce for Public Sector in Australia, secured federal security clearance, and expanded its Canberra office as part of a push to boost government productivity and digital transformation.
Experts Warn Australia Risks Strategic Vulnerability From Foreign AI Dependence. CSIRO leaders warn Australia must invest in sovereign AI models and tighter safeguards, or risk handing critical business intelligence to foreign-controlled systems.
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