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Most foreign cryptocurrency exchange apps will be blocked from South Korea’s Google Play Store from 28 January because they are not registered with local authorities. Korean users can still access these platforms via web browsers or APK downloads, but this creates higher security risks and may shift trading towards domestic exchanges.

PayPal will soon be a payment option in Google’s new AI-powered checkout through the Universal Commerce Protocol, which connects AI agents, retailers, and payment providers. The protocol was developed with major retailers and aims to make online shopping easier, more secure, and interoperable across different platforms.

Meta is developing two proprietary AI models, Mango for image and video generation and Avocado for text and reasoning, expected to launch in the first half of 2026. The company created Meta Superintelligence Labs, hired over 50 AI specialists, and shifted away from its Llama open-source models to compete with Google’s Gemini and OpenAI’s AI tools.

Meta is talking with Google about using its TPUs in AI data centres and possibly renting them next year, aiming to reduce reliance on Nvidia GPUs. The news caused Nvidia shares to fall and could boost Google’s TPUs as a serious alternative in AI hardware.

Google released a new AI weather model called WeatherNext 2 that gives faster and more detailed forecasts. It delivers global predictions in under a minute and is now built into Google products like Search, Maps, and Pixel Weather.

More than 300 founders and investors at a major AI summit voted Perplexity as the startup most likely to fail, putting OpenAI in second place. The poll highlighted growing doubts about both companies, driven by legal issues for Perplexity and rising financial concerns around OpenAI.

AI data centres in the U.S. are using power faster than the grid can supply, creating a major gap in electricity capacity. Analysts warn that without huge investment, the country may struggle to support further AI growth as outages and infrastructure limits become more common.

Google Finance now shows live data from US prediction markets Kalshi and Polymarket. This lets users track event probabilities alongside regular financial info, but regulatory questions remain.

OpenAI has launched ChatGPT Atlas, an AI-powered web browser that lets users browse, search, and automate tasks directly through ChatGPT. The browser aims to challenge Google Chrome’s dominance and integrate AI into everyday online activities, with features like Agent Mode to perform actions on behalf of users.

Google Cloud has launched a new blockchain platform, the Universal Ledger, to handle global payments for banks and institutions. It is already being tested with CME Group and could roll out commercially in 2026.