Android is getting emergency live video support for life saving help when its needed, and Rivian is developing its own in-house self-driving AI chip for its EVs.
Starring Jason Howell, Jenn Cutter,Tom Merritt and Andy Beach.
JASON: This is the Daily Tech News for Thursday, December 11th, 2025. We tell you what you need to know, give you the important context, and help each other understand.
JENN: Today Andy Beach tells us about Fetch’s AI Agent directory and Disney hops in.
I’m Jason Howell,
I’m Jenn Cutter.
JASON: Let’s start with what you need to know with the big story.
BIG STORY
The Walt Disney Company and OpenAI reach landmark agreement to bring beloved characters from across Disney’s brands to Sora
Disney Accuses Google of Using AI to Engage in Copyright Infringement on ‘Massive Scale’
JASON: OpenAI and Disney just signed a three year deal that let’s Sora and ChatGPT Images generate short, fan-prompted videos and images using more than 200 characters, costumes, vehicles, and environments from its properties. That includes Disney IP, PIxar, Marvel, and Star Wars. All of this kicks off in 2026.
Disney+ will also offer a curated set of Sora clips from this partnership for its streaming subscribers. The companies are framing the partnership as a testbed for “responsible” entertainment AI, with no talent likenesses or voices included in the deal. There are also explicit promises around age-appropriate use and safety controls for users that include a commitment to guardrails blocking illegal or harmful content.
Along with this, Disney has sent a cease and desist letter to Google, accusing it of copying a large set of Disney films, shows, and characters to train its Gemini model. Disney says generated imagery using its IP has been illegitimately distributed on YouTube and YouTube Shorts. Disney mentions the ability to generate figurines of its franchises using Nano Banana and Gemini, and the inclusion of the Gemini logo implying that an official deal exists when in fact it does not.
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BRIEFS
There’s more we need to know today, let’s get to the briefs.
Big Tech warned over AI ‘delusional’ outputs by US attorneys general
JENN: US state attorneys general from both parties have sent a warning letter to 13 tech companies arguing that AI chatbots are producing “delusional” responses that might break state consumer protection and mental health laws. The letter cites incidents of self harm by teens, along with the occurrence of chatbots feeding into and “encouraging users’ delusions.” The letter carries no legal power, but does signal that officials see current safeguards as inadequate, and encourages further investment into safety protocols to address the issues.
Microsoft, Meta, Google, and Apple are among the recipients of the letter. None have provided comments at this point.
You can now share live video with emergency services on Android
JASON: Google just launched a new Emergency Live Video feature for users running Android 8 or later that will enable users to send live video from their smartphone to 911 dispatchers during emergencies. The new feature will appear when the user is on a call or text thread with emergency services, allowing dispatchers to send a request to share live video with a single tap. Google says the new feature can be useful in scenarios where life saving steps are needed before help arrives, like performing CPR. The live video is encrypted by default and the user can stop sharing at any time.
Rivian is building its own powerful AI chips for autonomous driving
JENN: Electric vehicle maker Rivian Automotive made a couple of announcements at Rivian’s first ‘Autonomy and AI Day’, including a new in-house self-driving 5 nanometer chip, called the Rivian Autonomy Processor, moving away from Nvidia processors. The new chips will be produced at TSMC and are expected to launch in late 2026. Rivian also announced a new Driver-Assistance package called Autonomy+, which will be $49.99/month as a subscription or a $2,500 one-time fee. It includes a Universal Hands-Free feature for over 3.5 million miles on roads across the US and Canada. This package is lower than Tesla’s $99/month subscription or $8,000 one time fee for Full Self-Driving.
JASON: And finally, some quick headlines that are just good to know if you want to understand the news in the future.
Build with Gemini Deep Research
JENN: Gemini Deep Research just got an upgrade that brings a new Interactions API to developers, turning Gemini into an agentic research engine that can autonomously search, navigate websites, and fill its knowledge gaps using Gemini 3 Pro.
Google’s Gemini AI comes to Chrome on iPhone and iPad
JASON: Gemini is now built into Chrome on iPhone and iPad, bringing the signature Spark icon to the left of the address bar where the Google Lens icon used to be. Tap that to access the Pages Tool where “Ask Gemini” awaits.
Sei Wallets to Come Pre-Installed on Millions of Xiaomi Phones
JENN: Sei will pre-install is crypto wallet and Web3 discovery app on millions of Xiaomi phones outside of China and the US starting in 2026, making it a stablecoin-ready entry point for its users out of the box.
Spotify tests more personalized, AI-powered ‘Prompted Playlists’
JASON: Spotify is testing another AI feature that lets Premium users generate personalized “Prompted Playlists” from a list of generated text prompts that taps into users entire listening history. New Zealand gets the feature first.
Microsoft fixes Windows Explorer white flashes in dark mode
JENN: Microsoft’s latest WIndows 11 update finally kills the blinding white flashes that occurred for some users when launching File Explorer while running in dark mode.
Microsoft CEO Nadella Is Making a Cricket App in His Free Time
JASON: Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is apparently a big cricket fan and spent at least part of his Thanksgiving coding a Deep Research AI app for the spot that users reasoning chains to pick all-time Indian test cricket greats. Who knew!
Oracle shares slide as earnings fail to ease AI bubble fears
JENN: Thanks to Feeling4208 in the subreddit for this. Oracle’s AI-driven cloud boom is meeting some resistance with its share value sinking 14% after weak earnings highlighting big bets the company has made on AI infrastructure combined with fears of an AI bubble.
JENN: Those are the essentials for today. Let’s dive a little deeper.
INTERVIEW
JASON: AI agents are becoming the new shopping interface. Andy Beach tells Tom Merritt why Fetch thinks it can organize the entire agent economy.
PROMO
JENN: Want to be on the show? We will be having a special show on Wednesday, December 24th at 1 PM Eastern / 10 AM Pacific, where we share tech we want for the holidays or tech we’ve received as gifts in the past. If you’d like to be part of that episode, we have two ways to participate, prerecorded or live. Find out more at dailytechnewsshow.com/lch
HELPING EACH OTHER UNDERSTAND
JASON: We end every episode of DTNS with some shared perspectives. Today Ryan has a thought.
JENN: Ryan Writes: Listening to the main story, my cynical brain can’t help but kick in. A limited-purpose disposable device that’s meant mostly for quick notes and reminders? It seems Pebble just announced a $99 Bic pen
JENN: What are you thinking about? Got some insight into a story? Share it with us at feedback@dailyte
chnewsshow.com
JASON: Thanks to Andy Beach and Ryan for contributing to today’s show. And thank YOU for being along for Daily Tech News Show. You can keep us in business by becoming a patron at Patreon.com/dtns
