Google on Tuesday unleashed another wave of artificial intelligence technology to accelerate a yearlong makeover of its search engine that is changing the way people get information and curtailing the flow of internet traffic to websites.

The next phase outlined at Google’s annual developers conference includes releasing a new “AI mode” option in the United States. The feature makes interacting with Google’s search engine more like having a conversation with an expert capable of answering questions on just about any topic imaginable.

AI mode is being offered to all comers in the U.S. just two-and-a-half-months after the company began testing with a limited Labs division audience.

Google is also feeding its latest AI model, Gemini 2.5, into its search algorithms and will soon begin testing other AI features, such as the ability to automatically buy concert tickets and conduct searches through live video feeds.

In another example of Google’s all-in approach to AI, the company revealed it is planning to leverage the technology to re-enter the smart glasses market with a new pair of Android XR-powered spectacles. The preview of the forthcoming device, which includes a hands-free camera and a voice-powered AI assistant, comes 13 years after the debut of “Google Glass,” a product that the company scrapped after a public backlash over privacy concerns.

Google didn’t say when its Android XR glasses will be available or how much they will cost, but disclosed they will be designed in partnership with Gentle Monster and Warby Parker. The glasses will compete against a similar product already on the market from Facebook parent Meta Platforms and Ray-Ban.

Honda rolls back global EV sales goal

Honda said Tuesday electric vehicle sales were slowing in the U.S., prompting the Japanese automaker to scrap its previous goal for EVs to be 30% of its global vehicle sales by 2030.

Instead of the initial plan to invest 10 trillion yen ($69 billion) in an electrification strategy through the fiscal year ending in 2031, Honda is reducing that investment by 3 trillion yen ($21 billion) to 7 trillion yen ($48 billion).

Honda Motor Co. Chief Executive Toshihiro Mibe called the decisions “a switch in the planned course,” while stressing the long-term shift toward electrification remained unchanged, just pushed back in time.

Mibe didn’t mention U.S. President Donald Trump. But Trump’s policies on tariffs, as well as his lack of enthusiasm for electric vehicles, have Japanese automakers scrambling to adapt.

Chinese EV battery maker has hot IPO

Shares in CATL, the world’s largest maker of batteries for electric vehicles, jumped more than 16% Tuesday in its Hong Kong trading debut after it raised about $4.6 billion in the world’s largest initial public offering this year.

The solid reception for the Chinese company, Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., in Hong Kong suggests there is still an appetite among international investors for leading Chinese manufacturers despite trade tensions between Beijing and Washington.

It sold more than 135 million shares at their maximum offer price, 263 Hong Kong dollars ($33.6) each. Its shares rose after they started trading at 296 Hong Kong dollars ($37.80), 12.5% higher than their offer price. They closed 16.4% higher.

Southwest sets policy on portable chargers

Passengers on Southwest Airlines flights will soon be required to keep their portable chargers in plain sight while using them because of concerns about the growing number of lithium battery fires in a new policy that other airlines may adopt.

Southwest announced the new policy that will go into effect May 28 and said passengers may have already seen notifications about the rule when using the airline’s app.

While Southwest is the first U.S. airline to restrict the use of portable chargers, several Asian airlines have taken action earlier this year after a devastating fire aboard an Air Busan plane waiting to take off from an airport in South Korea in January.

Levi Strauss taking off the Dockers

Levi Strauss is set to finally part ways with Dockers — inking a deal to sell its brand once credited with propelling the popularity of “Casual Fridays” to Authentic Brands Group.

In an announcement Tuesday, the denim giant said it had agreed to sell Dockers to Authentic for up to $391 million. The transaction will start at an initial value of $311 million, with the potential of adding another $80 million to the price tag based on business performance under the new ownership.

The sale arrives as San Francisco-based Levi Strauss boosts its focus on the chain’s core Levi’s brand — as well as Beyond Yoga, which the company acquired in 2021, as more and more consumers continue to cozy up to athleisure wear.

Levi Strauss launched Dockers in 1986, and the brand soon became a “Casual Friday” staple. But the nearly 40-year-old brand has struggled — notably since the start of the pandemic, when many shoppers traded their khakis for more comfortable clothes.

— News service reports