Google announces a new protocol to facilitate commerce using AI agents

Plus more of TechCrunch's top stories this weekend

View this email online in your browser  January 11, 2026 TechCrunch Top 3 Google announces a new protocol to facilitate commerce using AI agents: Google said that merchants can now offer discounts to users directly in AI mode results Read More Indonesia and Malaysia block Grok over non-consensual, sexualized deepfakes: Indonesian officials said Saturday that they are temporarily blocking access to xAI's chatbot Grok. Read More Wing to expand drone delivery to another 150 Walmart stores: The partnership will grow Wing's drone delivery service to more than 270 Walmart stores by 2027. Read More Sunday Must-Reads OpenAI is reportedly asking contractors to upload real work from past jobs: An intellectual property lawyer says OpenAI is "putting itself at great risk" with this approach. Read More I met a lot of weird robots at CES -- here are the most memorable: If the robots don't always give a totally accurate representation of where commercial deployment is at the moment, they do give visitors a peek at where their parent companies might be headed. Read More Meta signs deals with three nuclear companies for 6-plus GW of power: Two smaller companies, Oklo and TerraPower, along with Vistra, a large energy company, just signed agreements with Meta. Read More Nuclear startups are back in vogue with small reactors, and big challenges: Small modular reactor startups are betting that mass manufacturing will help them bring costs down. But are they underestimating the challenge? Read More Google moonshot spinout SandboxAQ claims an ex-exec is attempting 'extortion': A former SandboxAQ executive filed a wrongful termination lawsuit filled with shocking allegations. The company is fighting back, hard. Read More Be the first to know when news breaks Subscribe to our News Alerts, and you won't miss a thing. Breaking news, exclusives, and special reports—straight to your inbox. Sign up for News Alerts! Last but Not Least SpaceX gets FCC approval to launch 7,500 more Starlink satellites: The Federal Communications Commission has given SpaceX approval to launch another 7,500 of its second generation Starlink satellites. Read More Check out some of our other newsletters: StrictlyVC TechCrunch Events TechCrunch Mobility Want to adjust your daily newsletter schedule? You can do it right here Got a tip? Get in touch securely. Want to advertise on TechCrunch? advertise@techcrunch.com Has this been forwarded to you? Click here to subscribe to this newsletter. Unsubscribe Member Center Privacy Policy Copyright © 2026 TechCrunch Media LLC 501 2nd Street, Suite 650, San Francisco, CA 94107