Google Launches Gemini 4 Hydrogen: A Faster, Smarter Flash Successor 🚀

Welcome to another edition of Horizon AI,

In today’s issue, we look at Spotify’s latest AI DJ update, which gives Premium subscribers more control over their listening experience. You can now choose from nine new voices with different personalities and accents, or turn down the DJ commentary so you can enjoy your music with fewer interruptions.

Let’s jump into it!

Read Time: 4.5 min

Here's what's new today in the Horizon AI

• Google Releases Gemini 4 Hydrogen

• Meta’s Muse AI Can Now Phone Businesses for You, in the US Only

• AI Tutorial: How to Customize Spotify’s AI DJ Voices and Commentary

• AI Tools to check out

• AI Findings/Resources

• The Latest in AI and Tech 💡

AI News

GOOGLE

Google Releases Gemini 4 Hydrogen

Google has introduced Gemini 4 Hydrogen, a “fast, cost-efficient model built for reliable agentic workflows and everyday tasks” that replaces the previous Flash models across the company’s products.

Details:

• Gemini 4 Hydrogen offers four thinking levels: low, medium, high, and the new xhigh setting. Google says it runs up to 2.5 times faster than Gemini 3.8 Flash, even in high thinking mode.

• Google reports that Hydrogen reduces fabricated claims by more than 5 times compared with its predecessor, while delivering more helpful responses to complex, multi-part questions and requests containing typos.

• Coding performance has also improved significantly. According to Google, Hydrogen scores more than three times higher than 3.8 Flash on Terminal-Bench, a benchmark for coding tasks.

• In xhigh mode, Hydrogen scored 54 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, compared with 50 for Google's larger Argon model.

• The model is also being integrated into Google Search, powering improvements to AI Overviews and AI Mode. Google says Search will better handle complex questions and include more visual elements and links to sources.

Developers can access Hydrogen through the API at $1.50 per million input tokens and $7.50 per million output tokens, the same pricing as 3.8 Flash. It is also available through Google AI Studio, Gemini for business, the Gemini app, and Google Antigravity for AI Pro and Ultra subscribers.

Source

TOGETHER WITH ROKU

It's time to set up your holiday streaming campaign

Are you ready to reach holiday shoppers on CTV? For many streamers, the season is already underway.

Last year, according to Roku internal data, holiday content searches on Roku saw an 86% increase during October. And in November, those searches rise an average of 39% weekly. This surging holiday spirit is mirrored by consumer activity, as about half of Roku streamers shopped Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals in 2025.

Meeting those shoppers is easier than you might think. Begin with the seasonal outcome you hope to drive: awareness, online sales, leads, store visits, or another measurable goal. From there, define your audience, upload your creative, set the budget and campaign dates, and establish measurement before launching. You can even create a shoppable ad unit that lets streamers buy with a click of their remote.

Our holiday playbook offers a month-by-month guide to reaching shoppers during this all-important time of year.

First-time spenders get a $5,000 match on the first $5,000 spent with code BEEHIIV5K. Terms apply.

Launch your campaign today.

META

Meta’s Muse AI Can Now Phone Businesses for You, in the US Only

Meta’s consumer AI agent, Muse, can now call businesses across the US on behalf of users. The feature, which was tested with a limited group earlier this year, is now available to paying subscribers.

Details:

• Users can ask Muse to handle calls they would rather avoid, including contacting cable companies, reaching the DMV, or calling restaurants that do not accept online reservations.

• Meta says Muse now has more than 10 million users, and phone calls are another step in its effort to bring AI agents into everyday activities.

• Muse subscriptions start at $20 per month for 500 million tokens per week. Heavier AI users can opt to pay $100 per month for 3 billion tokens.

• Meta’s chief AI officer Alexandr Wang also said that the option to create a Muse email address will soon become available to free users.

The rollout gives Muse another practical use beyond answering questions and assisting with online tasks. It is sure to appeal to consumers who have grown frustrated with customer service over the years, especially with the endless phone menus and long waits on hold. However, businesses’ willingness to interact with AI callers remains a challenge.

Source

AI Tutorial

How to Customize Spotify’s AI DJ Voices and Commentary

1. Open Spotify on your mobile device and use the search bar to look for DJ.

2. Tap the three-dot menu to access the voice and commentary settings.

3. Browse the nine new voice options and select the one you prefer:

• Casey [US]: Laidback energy, warm, bit of a drawl.

• Tess [US]: Direct but inviting, has a bit of an edge. In-the-know.

• Lane [US]: Southern accent, brings a younger, positive energy.

• Sam [AU]: Gregarious, fun, likes to keep things not-so-serious.

• Nell [UK]: Mellow, slower energy, and deeply knowledgeable.

• Declan [IR]: Straightforward, passionate, and a bit of a music nerd.

• Nisha [IN]: Inviting, with contagious energy.

• Nico [MX]: Down to earth, present, and right there with you.

• Fabi [MX]: Witty, friendly, and always a step ahead.

4. If you prefer listening without frequent interruptions, you can now turn off commentary between songs. Your AI DJ will only speak to introduce the listening session or when it's directed to change up the music choices.

Note: The new additions are rolling out to Premium subscribers in all regions where Spotify DJ is available.

AI Tools to check out

🔥 Arcads: Create winning ads with AI.

💼 Toby: Realistic mock interviews with an AI hiring manager.

🎨 Templify AI: A powerful content editor for people who aren’t editors.

🎬 Opus Clip: An AI video clipping and editing tool that turns long videos into high-quality, viral clips and publishes them across all social media platforms with one click.

AI Findings/Resources

🔮 Google Cloud leaders share what to expect in cybersecurity for 2027

🤯Claude reverse engineered my 32-year-old Jeep. Then it started controlling it

📉 Five ways Jensen Huang’s ouster from Nvidia could damage the AI industry

🎨 Anthropic staff member Jake Eaton shares how he uses Claude to create original paintings through code, developing AI artist personas with distinct styles and simulated paint engines

👀 Apple, Alphabet and Uber survived founder transitions. Can Nvidia?

The latest in AI and Tech

More revelations surface after Jensen Huang's resignation

A report from The Wall Street Journal says Jensen Huang lacked confidence in his successor, describing Colette Kress, Nvidia’s CFO and now interim CEO, as “a deer in the headlights” during a presentation earlier this summer. He also reportedly said she could not help him steer the company’s strategy or make key decisions.

Hours after Huang quit, Reuters reported a third alleged extramarital affair, this time involving a second Nvidia employee. The news agency did not identify the woman.

Meanwhile, US intelligence is still unsure whether Alice Huang, the Chinese businesswoman at the origin of the controversy, was acting on behalf of the Chinese government. Multiple sources told CNN that “the intelligence collected on her to date does not prove that she was acting as a spy for Beijing.”

Generative AI adoption rises among video game developers

The GDC’s latest industry survey found that 40% of developers use generative AI as part of their jobs, up from 36% last year. Most use it for research, brainstorming, data analysis and code generation, while 22% use it for concept art and 8% for final game assets.

AI chatbots sometimes direct shoppers to fake retail websites, study finds

A study by brand protection firm Podqi found that ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity displayed or mentioned potentially risky websites in 4% to 15% of shopping-related responses. Perplexity had the highest rate at 15%, followed by ChatGPT at 8% and Gemini at 4%. Smaller brands were more exposed, with the researchers warning that shoppers should verify website links before sharing personal or payment information.

Anthropic launches Claude Meetings

The new feature brings its AI assistant into team video calls. During calls, Claude can answer questions, take meeting notes, and create documents and whiteboards based on the discussion. The feature is rolling out in beta to Claude Team and Enterprise subscribers, with Google Meet as the first supported platform.

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Gina 👩🏻‍💻