Google AI Mode can now inform you about flight price drops and assist you in booking your hotel.

      Google has introduced flight tracking, rewards comparisons, and hotel booking features in AI Mode.

      Travel planning often requires multiple browser tabs, various airline apps, and unwarranted spreadsheets. Google aims to streamline this process into a single conversation. The company has integrated three new travel functionalities into AI Mode, enabling you to monitor flight prices, compare rewards points with cash, and reserve a hotel—all without needing to switch between different windows.

      Flight notifications and rewards, all in one chat

      While Google Flights has provided price alerts for some time, this flight price tracking feature is now available directly within AI Mode. By informing Google of your travel destination and dates, it scans over 300 airlines and travel platforms for current fares. If you’re not ready to book just yet, you can ask it to continue monitoring prices, and Google will notify you via email as soon as there are changes. This feature is available for more than 180 countries.

      We’re incorporating the price tracking feature from Google Flights directly into AI Mode, allowing you to set up alerts while chatting. Just mention your travel plans, and you can say “track these flight prices for me.” Once confirmed, you’ll receive an email if there are any price changes.

      For those accumulating points, there’s something new as well. Instead of sifting through a rewards portal, you can simply inquire in AI Mode about the miles needed for a flight or hotel stay. For example, if you're flying from Atlanta to Miami with American Airlines, it will provide the AAdvantage rate immediately. Airlines such as Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, American, and hotels like Hilton and Wyndham are participating at launch, with others like Accor, Flying Blue, Hyatt, LATAM, and Lufthansa’s Miles & More expected soon.

      Booking hotels without changing tabs

      The recent update lets you book hotels straight through AI Mode. Describe your desired stay and budget, and it will show you hotels along with relevant reviews and key information. After selecting a hotel, clicking “Continue on Google” will guide you through room selection, checking cancellation policies, and making payments via Google Pay.

      We’re now enabling hotel bookings through AI Mode in Search, allowing you to find and reserve your next hotel in a single conversation. Just inform AI Mode about your trip and hotel preferences to view a visual list of options, complete with guest reviews and essential details.

      Google isn’t the seller in this context; the hotel or booking platform manages the transaction and customer support. This feature will be rolled out in the US in the upcoming weeks, with partners like Booking.com, Expedia, Marriott, and Priceline included. With fare tracking, rewards comparisons, and room reservations, your next trip planning should no longer require multiple tabs.

      Manisha Priyadarshini is a tech and entertainment writer with over nine years of editorial experience.

      Meanwhile, South Korea is offering free AI to assist citizens with appointments, tax filing, and daily tasks.

      As global discussions on AI regulation continue, South Korea is providing free AI subscriptions instead.

      South Korea aims to make artificial intelligence as accessible as electricity or public transportation. Rather than limiting premium AI tools to paid subscriptions, the government intends to fund these services, allowing all citizens free access through a new initiative named 'AI for All'. According to the Wall Street Journal, this program aims to enhance the usage of homegrown AI chatbots while diminishing reliance on models from the US and China.

      OpenAI and over 100 companies have issued a warning regarding an impending surge in AI-led cyberattacks.

      The coalition indicates that current defenses will struggle to keep pace as increasingly sophisticated AI facilitates advanced cyberattacks.

      OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Microsoft, and more than 100 other companies and organizations are cautioning that AI-driven cyberattacks may soon become more prevalent and advanced. The group is advocating for a worldwide effort to bolster cyber defenses, as improved AI models make attacks simpler to automate and more difficult to control. It highlights that systems like hospitals, water treatment facilities, and internet infrastructure could face increased risks if defense measures do not enhance promptly.

      Anthropic has unveiled a research preview of its Model Hardware Standard, designed to facilitate AI-to-machine connections.

      The Model Hardware Standard offers a universal translation layer, allowing AI agents to safely operate lab instruments and factory machinery.

      Anthropic has released a research preview of the Model Hardware Standard (MHS), a common specification intended to enable AI agents to control lab equipment and factory machines securely. The company asserts that MHS cuts the time needed to integrate complex machinery with AI from months to hours or even minutes. This standard is currently accessible to select research labs and manufacturers via a waitlist, with plans for future open-source availability.