A Canticle For Leibowitz

Welcome to the tech we ride home for Thursday, 02/19/2026. I'm Brian McCullough. Today, Gemini is getting with the increased cadence of AI releases. Honestly, can we even keep up at this point? A dispatch from the social media trial as Zuck takes the stand. At long last, Amazon dethrones Walmart, Apple seems poised to unleash a slew of AI wearables and the new storage system to preserve data, canical for Leibovitz style. Here's what you missed today in the world of tech. Google is rolling out Gemini 3.1 Pro, which it says is a step forward in core reasoning for AI Pro and Ultra subscribers, quoting nine to five Google. In November, Google introduced Gemini three Pro in preview with Gemini three Flash following a month later. Google Today announced a Gemini 3.1 Pro, quote, for tasks where a simple answer isn't enough. This point one increment is a first for Google with the past two generations seeing point five as the mid year model update. 2.5 pro was first announced in March and saw further updates in May for Google IO. Google says Gemini 3.1 pro, quote, represents a step forward in core reasoning. The upgraded core intelligence that debuted last week with Gemini three Deep Think is now available in Gemini 3.1 Pro for more users. This model achieves an ARC AGI two score of 77.1% or more than double the reasoning performance of three Pro. This advanced reasoning translates to practical applications like quote, when you're looking for a clear visual explanation of a complex topic, a way to synthesize data into a single view, or bringing a creative project to life according to Google. Gemini 3.1 Pro is rolling out to the Gemini app today as well as notebook LM for Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers. It's also available in the Gemini API via Google AI Studio, Anti Gravity, Vertex AI, Gemini Enterprise, Gemini Klee, and Android Studio for developers. Gemini 3.1 Pro is launching in preview to, quote, validate these updates and continue to make further advancements in areas such as ambitious agentic workflows before we make it generally available soon, end quote. Here's a dispatch from that social media trial where Mark Zuckerberg took the stand yesterday, quoting CNBC. Zuckerberg said that Meta consulted with various stakeholders about the use of beauty filters on Instagram, but he did not specifically name them. The plaintiff's lawyer questioned Zuckerberg about messages showing he lifted the ban because it was, quote, paternalistic. It sounds like something I would say and something I feel, Zuckerberg replied. It feels a little overbearing. Zuckerberg was pressed about the decision to allow the feature when the company had guidance from experts that the beauty filters had negative effects particularly on young girls. He was specifically asked about one study by the University of Chicago in which 18 experts said that beauty filters as a feature cause harm to teenage girls. Zuckerberg, who noted that he believed this was referring …