Weekly Digest
This Week in AI Search
Every weekly edition of the AireStream AI search news roundup, archived in one place, newest first.
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This Week in AI Search (w/c 07/09/26)
OpenAI paused new $200 ChatGPT Pro sign-ups as Astra demand outstripped compute. Google committed €13bn to Finland and California signed the toughest US chatbot safety law.
This Week in AI Search (w/c 31/08/26)
OpenAI released Astra, its first cybersecurity model that can exploit flaws unaided, as a federal judge spared Google's ad tech business from breakup.
This Week in AI Search (w/c 24/08/26)
Google pushed full AI Mode answers into AI Overviews by default. OpenAI, Shopify and Cloudflare shipped WebMCP so agents can act on websites.
This Week in AI Search (w/c 17/08/26)
OpenAI switched on ChatGPT ads across 31 European markets. Reddit's ChatGPT citations collapsed 86% in six days after an unannounced retrieval change.
This Week in AI Search (w/c 10/08/26)
Gemini passed one billion monthly users. French publishers filed against Google over AI Overviews. Stripe agreed to buy OpenRouter for $7 billion.
This Week in AI Search (w/c 03/08/26)
OpenAI made its default model free and unlimited, then killed Atlas. Perplexity beat Amazon in federal court. Brussels started enforcing AI transparency rules.
This Week in AI Search (w/c 27/07/26)
Google's AI Overviews reached 43% of searches, up from 15% a year ago. Nvidia formed a 60-company security alliance without OpenAI, Google or Anthropic.
This Week in AI Search (w/c 20/07/26)
Google shipped three new Gemini models and pushed AI Overviews into France, then Brussels fined it €890m under the DMA. OpenAI's own model hacked Hugging Face.
This Week in AI Search (w/c 13/07/26)
Google made AI answers the default search result, ending 27 years of ranked blue links, while major publishers sued over Gemini's training data.
This Week in AI Search (w/c 06/07/26)
Google widened AI training on search uploads, OpenAI shipped GPT-5.6 Sol, Terra and Luna, and the New York Times accused OpenAI of hiding evidence.
This Week in AI Search (w/c 22/06/26)
Google lost Transformer co-inventor Noam Shazeer to OpenAI, made Chrome an autonomous agent on Android, and tested a button that strips AI out of search results entirely.
This Week in AI Search (w/c 15/06/26)
OpenAI added enterprise spend controls, ChatGPT Health and session security, while Google made Gemini 3.5 Flash the default in AI Mode for a billion users.
This Week in AI Search (w/c 08/06/26)
Apple rebuilt Siri with Google Gemini, OpenAI filed for its IPO, and Microsoft gave Bing users an AI off switch. All three reshape how AI search competes in 2026.
This Week in AI Search (w/c 01/06/26)
Perplexity shipped Search as Code, Microsoft launched Web IQ grounding APIs, and the UK CMA ordered Google to give publishers opt-out control over AI Overviews.
This Week in AI Search (w/c 26/05/26)
CNN sued Perplexity over copyright, OpenAI published its Frontier Governance Framework ahead of the EU AI Act deadline, and xAI launched Custom Skills and Grok Build 0.1.
This Week in AI Search (w/c 18/05/26)
Google merged AI Overviews and AI Mode globally at I/O 2026, Gemini 3.5 Flash became default, AI Mode passed one billion users, then the May Core Update landed.
This Week in AI Search (w/c 11/05/26)
Google rolled out five AI search features and extended spam policies to AI Overviews. Microsoft embedded ads in Copilot. OpenAI's ad platform hit $100M in six weeks.
This Week in AI Search (w/c 04/05/26)
Google embeds Reddit voices in AI Overviews, OpenAI ships GPT-5.5 Instant with 52.5% fewer hallucinations, Microsoft moves ads into Copilot answers, and Snap kills its $400M Perplexity deal.
This Week in AI Search (w/c 27/04/26)
Amazon Quick lands on the desktop, Google AI Overviews reach Gmail and Drive, Microsoft inserts ads into Copilot, OpenAI ships GPT-5.5 Instant, and publisher traffic falls 33%.
This Week in AI Search (w/c 20/04/26)
OpenAI activated CPC ads in ChatGPT, Google relaunched its enterprise AI stack as Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform, and AI Overviews moved into Gmail and Drive.
This Week in AI Search (w/c 13/04/26)
ChatGPT went ad-supported in three new markets, Perplexity moved onto the desktop, and Google AI Overviews now cover 48% of queries.
This Week in AI Search (w/c 06/04/26)
Meta launched its first proprietary AI model, Google's core update completed with real ranking casualties, and Perplexity faces a lawsuit over data it denied sharing.
This Week in AI Search (w/c 30/03/26)
Perplexity faces a 135-page privacy lawsuit. ChatGPT launched on Apple CarPlay. Google's core update crushed AI content sites. Four stories that change AI search this week.
This Week in AI Search (w/c 23/03/26)
Google expanded multimodal search globally, ChatGPT ads crossed $100M, and Google fired two algorithm updates in 48 hours. Five shifts that matter now.
This Week in AI Search (w/c 16/03/26)
Google's March 2026 core update expanded AI Overviews to 48% of searches. Microsoft restructured Copilot and OpenAI upgraded ChatGPT web search.
This Week in AI Search (w/c 09/03/26)
Courts entered AI search this week. A judge blocked Perplexity's shopping bot, Google shipped Gemini 3, and OpenAI pushed three models in a month.
This Week in AI Search (w/c 02/03/26)
AI search hit two milestones this week. Google triggered AI Overviews on half of all US queries and OpenAI released GPT-5.4 with native computer control.
This Week in AI Search (w/c 23/02/26)
AI search became a revenue engine this week: Google added shopping ads, LinkedIn saw a 60% B2B traffic drop, and ChatGPT sends minimal referral traffic.
This Week in AI Search (w/c 16/02/26)
AI search split this week: Perplexity dropped ads entirely, Google pushed ads into AI Mode, and UK regulators brought chatbots under the Online Safety Act.
This Week in AI Search (w/c 09/02/26)
AI search stopped pretending. This week, the platforms dropped their masks and showed what they actually want: your data, your attention, and your money.
This Week in AI Search (w/c 02/02/26)
AI search changed this week. Platforms stopped experimenting and started selling. They tightened control over answers. And they faced new security problems.
This Week in AI Search (w/c 26/01/2026)
AI search became more conversational, Yahoo joined the race, regulators pushed for opt-outs, and search moved into personal data.
This Week in AI Search (w/c 19/01/2026)
AI search keeps changing fast. Here's what happened this week and why it matters for anyone trying to get found online.
This Week in AI Search (w/c 12/01/2026)
AI is reshaping how customers discover, compare, and transact. This week: AI-first answers, deeper platform integration, and evolving monetisation.
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