The AI laptop race and Copilot Voice for all

Welcome to ZDNET’s Innovation Index, which identifies the most innovative developments in tech from the past week and ranks the top four, based on votes from our panel of editors and experts. Our mission is to help you identify the trends that will have the biggest impact on the future.

This week, Google is in first place for releasing new multimodal AI features for its Chromebook Plus devices. The features, which include text and audio summaries, live translations, and a handy Quick Insert function, deliver on the trend of subtle, user-friendly AI that makes daily tasks run smoother. The upgraded Chromebook Plus impressed ZDNET editor and laptop whisperer Kyle Kucharski, who noted that both the software and hardware make Google’s devices a worthy challenger of MacOS and Windows equivalents. The release ups the stakes for the two companies aiming to make everyday AI seamless, appealing, and intuitive. 

Also: Microsoft cracks down on Windows 11 upgrades for ‘incompatible’ PCs, but there’s a fix – for now

Coming in second is the new Oura Ring 4, the latest edition of the smart ring company’s signature wearable. The Oura Ring 3 has topped ZDNET’s list of best smart rings largely unchallenged, so the fourth edition has only itself to beat. The slimmer profile, in part due to now-flattened smart sensors, could make the ring more appealing to those who’ve been on the fence and certainly contrasts the clunkiness of a smartwatch for tracking health data even more. 

“The Oura Ring 4 is the most competitive smart ring on the market, expanding both its sizing and its battery life to levels that no other competing brand can claim right now,” said ZDNET’s resident smart ring expert Nina Raemont. “The launch of the fourth-gen product will shake up the already-competitive and burgeoning smart ring space — and wearable tech at large.” Read her full breakdown here. 

Also: Google’s AI podcast tool transforms your text into stunningly lifelike audio – for free

In third place is Microsoft, specifically its new Copilot Voice feature. The company launched the chatty, interruptable multimodal capability amidst several announcements at its NYC event, but Copilot Voice stood out to ZDNET Editor Sabrina Ortiz for how it democratizes voice-enabled AI. Unlike competitor products, including ChatGPT Voice Mode and Gemini Live, the tech isn’t paywalled or limited by device type, meaning anyone can access Copilot Voice for free. Ortiz says the three are comparable performance-wise, but these days, accessibility can be all it takes to turn a niche product into a public standard. 

At #4 this week is also Microsoft, this time for Copilot Daily, another free upgrade of its AI assistant. The feature summarizes the top five news stories to a user every morning, alongside a weather report, reading them aloud in one of four Copilot Voice options at a minute per story. As a professional news-gatherer, Ortiz appreciated how easy it was to get a big picture of topline events. The feature is limited to news from partner organizations, which Microsoft plans to expand. The company also plans to personalize briefings moving forward, and Ortiz expects the feature to become more comprehensive over time. 

While Copilot Daily might be rudimentary as an AI-powered news podcast, its convenience factor could be enough to impact how users consume the news — meaning its accuracy must be water-tight.