January 31 Tech news roundup: Google Chrome gets Auto Browse, Yahoo Scout AI answer engine launched, Microsoft wants to fix Windows 11 problems

Yahoo Scout is a new AI-powered search and answer engine

Yahoo was once the most popular search engine, but it was quickly eclipsed when Google launched. Fast forward a few decades, ChatGPT and other AI services seem to be taking things over. Well, Yahoo isn’t going to sit and watch. It has launched a new product called Yahoo Scout, and it’s powered by artificial intelligence. According to the company, Scout is designed to search for things on the internet, not unlike traditional search engines, but to also filter out clickbait and AI slop. It will also answer users questions, and all users have to do is interact with Scout using natural language.

Yahoo Scout will also generate AI summaries to help users understand things that they want. The AI, which is built on Anthropic’s Claude, has access to Yahoo’s own platforms such as News, Finance, Sports, Shopping, etc. to provide answers to user queries. Scout is currently in beta, and available for users in the US on Android, iOS and the web.

Yahoo Scout will be hoping to gain a foothold in the search engine/AI market, but that is easier said than done thanks to the heavy competition it faces from the likes of Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, OpenAI ChatGPT, Perplexity AI, etc.

Google Chrome gets Auto Browse powered by Gemini

Speaking about Gemini, Google has upgraded the AI in Chrome to Gemini 3. Chrome now has a new side panel that users can access to interact with the AI, which Google says, helps improve productivity and multitasking. Gemini’s Nano Banana is now built into Chrome, to transform images without having to download and re-upload images, it can be used from the current tab. The AI now supports Connected Apps like Gmail, YouTube, Google Shopping, Flights, Maps, Calendar, etc, to help users do things quickly.

But, the biggest change is that Google Chrome now supports Auto Browse. The feature is powered by Gemini 3, and as the name suggests, it is an agentic browsing mode. It can handle tasks such as optimizing your vacation planning, research hotel and flight costs, filling up online forms, file expense reports. Users can observe the AI as it performs the steps related to the task, and can pause the process, or take over manual control at anytime.

Auto Browse is currently available for AI Pro and Ultra subscribers in the US, and only on Windows, macOS and Chromebook Plus at the moment. It is unclear whether the company plans to bring the AI feature to Linux.

WhatsApp Premium ad-free subscription could be coming soon

Meta is set to introduce premium subscriptions across its platforms, which will allow subscribers access to exclusive features. WhatsApp Messenger, which has been free for a long time, will be among those that offer a subscription. In case you weren’t aware, Meta has been testing ads in WhatsApp’s Status and Channels tabs. Feedback regarding the sponsored content has been negative, which forced Meta to delay a widescale launch, but it’s happening.  A leak suggests that the company wants to give users an ad-free experience too, at a price. Users with a premium subscription won’t see ads in the app. The social media giant is planning to test various subscription features, bundles, before finalizing on the optimal one.

In addition to WhatsApp Premium, Meta is planning to bring similar premium experiences on Instagram and Facebook. The subscriptions will first be launched in Europe, with a possible expansion to other markets in the future.

Microsoft is working on fixing Windows 11’s bugs

Windows 11 has drawn the ire of users for quite some time now. Updates that result in bugs, crashes, performance issues, and errors have been fairly common, and after receiving a lot of negative feedback about the overall experience, Microsoft is focusing its efforts on improving system performance, reliability of Windows 11.

But three more things stand out from the rest of the issues that plague the operating system, Ads, Copilot and Recall. Microsoft has stuffed Copilot into every nook and cranny, from Explorer to Notepad, and not everyone is a fan of this experience. The Redmond company also promotes its services everywhere, including the Start Menu, Settings, and notifications. It could not be more clear that these things have annoyed users.

Windows Recall was called a privacy nightmare by experts. This forced Microsoft to delay its launch, while it worked on addressing the issues. And yet it still remains a cause for concern. Microsoft is said to be rethinking its strategy, it appears that it won’t ditch Recall completely, but things are supposedly heading in a different direction. Reports also indicate that Microsoft wants to cut down on Copilot integrations in Windows apps, specifically, the one in Notepad and Paint. That doesn’t mean AI features are going away completely, but it remains a possibility. There is also a chance that the Copilot branding may be toned down.

Can Microsoft redeem itself?

Valve is facing a massive class action lawsuit in the UK

Valve, the company behind the popular PC game store, Steam, is under scrutiny in the United Kingdom. A class action lawsuit has alleged that Valve has abused its domination of the PC game market to impose unfair pricing rules. The lawsuit claims that this affects 14 million users in the UK, including game developers and players. Valve takes a 30% commission on transactions that happen through its platform, i.e. game devs share 30% of their earnings via Steam.  The lawsuit pointed out that Steam’s agreement forbids developers from selling their games at a lower price on other platforms.

It also noted that Valve’s ecosystem locks in players who buy a game on Steam, and that they do not have the option to buy DLCs, expansions, etc from other storefronts, because their ownership of the game is tied to their Steam account.

If it is found guilty, Valve would need to pay a £656 million fine. That’s about $900 million. The UK’s Competition Appeal Tribunal had rejected Valve’s argument that the case should not proceed to trial, which means the lawsuit will continue.