This is the news from Wednesday 11 November. Read the latest news
Daily news
Claude Fable 5.2, a Chrome zero-day fix and Firefox 160
Today in 30 seconds
- Anthropic releases Claude Fable 5.2, and GitHub Copilot already has it
- Chrome 157 update fixes a zero-day that attackers already use
- Firefox 160 adds on-device speech recognition for web apps
- Meta’s Muse Ember is a tiny, cheap AI model for busy agents
- Google AI Studio can now build Google Maps apps from a prompt
- Yahoo Scout leaves beta and now runs all of Yahoo Search
- Google adds a “Non-incentivized only” filter to product reviews
- Google tests an AI local pack without call or directions buttons
- One SEO test: Google’s AI features sent about 21% of clicks
- GitHub secret scanning now checks your Actions workflow logs
- Shopify’s Partner Directory drops reviews for verified work history
- Apple now sells $49.99 packs of extra AI usage
Good morning. Anthropic has a new top model, Chrome needs a quick restart, and Firefox can now listen to you. Search news is busy too, from Yahoo’s big AI move to a new review filter at Google. Let’s go.
Anthropic releases Claude Fable 5.2, and GitHub Copilot already has it
Anthropic released Claude Fable 5.2 on 9 November. It costs $8 per million input tokens and $40 per million output tokens, and it is up to 30% faster than the 5.1 version. A sister model, Mythos 5.2, has fewer safeguards and is only for vetted organisations.
Fable 5.2 scores 69.9% on the FrontierSWE v2 coding test, against 62.3% for Opus 5.5. Even so, Anthropic still recommends Opus 5.5 for most daily work. The model is on the API as claude-fable-5-2, and on AWS, Google Cloud and Azure. GitHub Copilot added it the same day for Pro+, Max, Business and Enterprise plans.
Why it matters If you use Copilot at work, an admin must switch on a policy first. It is off by default.
My take: I’d try it on your hardest bug, then go back to Opus for the everyday stuff. Your budget will thank you.
Chrome 157 update fixes a zero-day that attackers already use
Google has released Chrome 157.0.8103.50 for Windows, Mac, Linux and Android, and .51 for some Windows and Mac users. It fixes nine security bugs. One of them, CVE-2026-125350, is a flaw in Chrome’s XML code, and Google says an exploit for it “exists in the wild”.
The update rolls out over the coming days and weeks. SecurityWeek says this is the eighth Chrome zero-day used in attacks this year.
Why it matters Don’t wait for it. Open Settings, then About Chrome, let it update and relaunch. Do the same on your phone, and nudge your team.
I would not leave this one until the weekend. It takes a minute.
Firefox 160 adds on-device speech recognition for web apps
Firefox 160 came out on 10 November. The Web Speech API’s SpeechRecognition now works on desktop. It runs on your device, in real time, in 40 languages. Android is not supported yet.
Firefox also accepts ::-webkit-input-placeholder as another name for ::placeholder. WebTransport gets new options, plus one breaking change to exportKeyingMaterial(). For everyone else, Picture-in-Picture gets a speed control from 0.25x to 2x.
Why it matters Voice input no longer needs to send audio to a server in Firefox. That is good news for privacy and for voice search boxes.
Meta’s Muse Ember is a tiny, cheap AI model for busy agents
Meta launched Muse Ember, its smallest and cheapest Muse model. It costs $0.10 per million input tokens and $0.50 per million output tokens, up to 200,000 input tokens. It has a 1 million token context window.
Meta built it for high-volume jobs like tool calls, routing, data extraction and reading long documents. It is on Meta’s own API, Google Cloud, Oracle Cloud, Vercel AI Gateway and Netlify’s AI Gateway.
Why it matters Small jobs like tagging products or sorting support emails can now cost cents, not dollars.
Google AI Studio can now build Google Maps apps from a prompt
You can now describe a map app in Google AI Studio and it builds it. AI Studio sets up Google Maps Platform and manages the API key for you. It covers styled maps, 3D cities, places, routes, and even air quality and pollen data.
The sandbox is free with no credit card, with 100 calls per day for each API. To go live, you link a Google Cloud billing account and pay normal Maps prices.
Why it matters A store locator or a “find us” map for a client is now a quick prototype, not a week of setup.
Yahoo Scout leaves beta and now runs all of Yahoo Search
Yahoo’s AI answer engine, Yahoo Scout, is out of beta. Yahoo says it has given more than 3 billion answers since early 2026. The new Yahoo Search, called Pivot Search, mixes normal results with Scout answers, and you can switch between them on the same page.
It is live on desktop and mobile web in the US, UK, Europe and Switzerland. US desktop users can also pick Scout in Firefox’s AI sidebar.
Why it matters Yahoo is small next to Google, but it is one more AI engine that picks and cites sources. Clear, well structured pages win there too.
I like seeing more choice in search, and more places for your pages to show up.
Google adds a “Non-incentivized only” filter to product reviews
Shoppers on Google can now hide reviews that were paid for or rewarded. Click a product in Search, Shopping or AI Mode, and the reviews panel shows a “Non-incentivized only” filter. Search Engine Roundtable says it shows on almost all product listings.
Why it matters If your store gives discounts for reviews, those reviews can now be filtered out. Keep asking real buyers for honest reviews, and label any rewarded ones properly.
Google tests an AI local pack without call or directions buttons
Google is testing an AI Overview version of the local pack on mobile. In the test, the normal map pack disappears. The AI version drops the website, call and directions buttons, plus reviews, address and opening hours. Joy Hawkins spotted it first.
Why it matters For a local business, those buttons are the money. It is only a test, but keep your Google Business Profile complete and watch your calls and direction requests.
One SEO test: Google’s AI features sent about 21% of clicks
Cyrus Shepard switched his site Zyppy out of Google’s AI features for most of September, using a Search Console control. He then compared the numbers. About 21% of his clicks came from AI features, and their click rate was about 0.9%, against 0.4% for his search traffic overall.
Shepard calls it a rough yardstick, not proof. Search Console still doesn’t split AI clicks from other clicks.
Why it matters Opting out of AI answers can cost real traffic. I’d think twice before you flip that switch. Our guide on why SEO matters covers the basics.
GitHub secret scanning now checks your Actions workflow logs
GitHub’s secret scanning can now find leaked keys and passwords in GitHub Actions workflow logs. It is in public preview for Enterprise Cloud customers with Secret Protection or Advanced Security. When a run finishes, GitHub scans the log and alerts you, and the alert stays even after the log is deleted.
It is off by default, and an enterprise owner switches it on. Old logs are not scanned.
Why it matters A stray echo of an API key in a build log is a classic leak. This catches it. Our guide to sharing logins safely helps too.
Shopify’s Partner Directory drops reviews for verified work history
Shopify has redesigned its Partner Directory. Profiles now come mostly from Shopify’s own data on each partner’s work and store transfers over the past four years. Reviews and ratings are gone, and search results are sorted A to Z.
Partners still control their name, logo, description, contact details and up to six featured clients. Shopify fills in tier, company size, top services and top markets.
Why it matters If you hire a Shopify expert, you now see real work history instead of star ratings.
Apple now sells $49.99 packs of extra AI usage
Apple has started selling Intelligence usage packs for $49.99. It is a one-time purchase, not a subscription. The extra usage only starts after you hit your monthly limit, and it lasts 12 months. For now it works in Logic Pro only, with Final Cut Pro, Pixelmator Pro and iWork expected this month.
Why it matters AI features are moving from “free” to “free up to a point”. Expect more apps to sell top-ups like this.
Quick hits
- Vercel doubled build disk space to 64 GB on Basic and Standard machines, free on all plans. Vercel
- Netlify form notifications can go to client emails again, once the client clicks Confirm. Netlify
- WordPress Credits now runs at more than 50 universities and schools. WordPress.org
- Google Antigravity adds a simpler Knowledge Work layout for people who don’t write code. Google
- Gemini now shows a Memory summary of everything it remembers about you. 9to5Google
- Spotify’s AI DJ gets seven new English voices, including an Australian one. Engadget
- Waze now warns drivers about nearby cyclists who share their Garmin LiveTrack. MacRumors
- Android Auto now needs Android 11 or newer. 9to5Google
- Ring Drone Cam is a $249.99 indoor flying camera that ships in January. Engadget
You're all caught up
That's today's web, tech and SEO news. The next edition lands tomorrow morning, around 3 am Melbourne time.That was the news from Wednesday 11 November. A newer edition is waiting for you.
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That’s you caught up. If Google’s review filter or the AI local pack has you thinking about your store, my SEO team can help. Now go update Chrome. See you tomorrow.
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