In today’s digest, we cover Meta trialling an AI shopping tool to challenge ChatGPT, Google planning to fill 150 tech roles in Singapore, Gemini, and eBay cutting 800 jobs, 6% of its workforce.

Meta trials AI shopping tool

Meta Platforms is piloting a shopping research capability within its Meta AI chatbot, signalling a deeper move into ecommerce as competition intensifies with ChatGPT and Gemini. The feature, currently rolling out to select users in the US via the Meta AI web interface, enables consumers to request product recommendations. In response, the chatbot displays a carousel of images featuring brand names, pricing and merchant links, alongside bullet-point summaries explaining the reasoning behind each suggestion.

Early testing indicates recommendations can incorporate signals such as location and inferred gender. Meta has not confirmed whether it receives referral commissions from merchant links or whether advertising relationships influence rankings. While checkout is not yet integrated, users can click through to retailer sites to complete purchases, pointing to a potential pathway for monetising AI-led product discovery.

Google to fill 150 tech roles in Singapore

Google is set to hire over 150 staff in Singapore, primarily in technology and engineering roles, as it expands its research and development presence in the city-state. Open positions listed on the company’s careers portal include customer solutions engineers, data centre technicians, and product managers, highlighting ongoing investment in local technical expertise.

The recruitment push also supports the launch of a new Artificial Intelligence Centre of Excellence focused on security. The centre will tackle emerging risks from advanced tools that can understand natural language, reason, and perform tasks autonomously, aiming to prevent misuse and reinforce safeguards as AI becomes increasingly independent.

eBay cuts 800 jobs

eBay has announced it will cut approximately 800 jobs globally, around 6% of its workforce. A company spokesperson said the reductions are part of a wider plan to realign the organisation with strategic priorities, even as hiring continues in select areas.

CEO Jamie Iannone noted that eBay is concentrating on growing its consumer-to-consumer marketplace and the sale of used or refurbished items, which together make up roughly a quarter of the company’s gross merchandise volume (GMV).